Monday morning Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke at an event hosted by the 21st Century Institute where, in addition, several other members of the government also evaluated the results of Hungary's recent EU presidency. The program continued with roundtable discussions.
PM Orban explained that he had been asked to close Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union with a keynote speech at the conference.
This is a logical thought because the presidency ended on December 31, so it’s time to take stock. Undeniably, we worked a lot, and many worked hard for the success of the Hungarian presidency,
– he emphasized.
In his estimation, those contributing with their work just in the narrow circle of public administration is hundreds of individuals, a number which - together with the related fields - may exceed a thousand. "So here's a great opportunity to thank them. I thank everyone who worked for the success of the Hungarian presidency. Leading them was Minister Janos Boka, who did exceptional work, and they deserve our applause," Mr. Orban added
Those who worked against the success of the Hungarian presidency – and there were quite a few – may the devil take them. As for the Hungarians who worked against their fellow countrymen at Brussels’ request, may they be cast into the deepest pit of hell. To be honest, with this statement, I have fulfilled my task of evaluating the presidency,
– the prime minister added.
I say this because Hungary's presidency did not mark the end, but rather the beginning of something. The beginning of a new era. "Sure, let’s not fall into the trap of the little rooster, who believes that if he doesn't crow, the sun won't rise, but let’s not underestimate our performance, either."
In the history books this semester will be remembered as the time when Donald Trump and European patriots began the transformation of the Western world,
– PM Orban emphasized, adding that this is what this new era will be about.
Today, it's a widely accepted view that we are living through years of a global system change, the rise of the East and Asia, Mr. Orban highlighted. "The previously known world order, the one shaped and dominated by the West, more specifically by the Anglo-Saxons, has come to an end. The world's major powers and power centers are in the process of creating the new economic, political, and cultural frameworks in which we will likely live for many long decades."
I see that the big players are working full steam, and with great momentum, preparing intensively for this new era. They are working hard, for example, on creating new geopolitical frameworks. They want to ensure that things are in order in their immediate neighborhood, to avoid surprise or danger, and they want to assert their rights over the spheres of influence they deem necessary for their security. This is why the Russia-Ukraine war centers on Ukraine’s NATO membership, which the Russians are determined to - and will - prevent at all cost. This is why places like Greenland, Canada, and Panama are popping up on the international political sphere's agenda, and this is why the South China Sea and the fate of Taiwan is in the daily news,
– PM Orban emphasized.
Economic goals
The second area of preparation in the big powers' efforts is the economy. "The loudest battle cry is coming from the new technologies and innovative industries," Mr. Orban pointed out. "In China, after - and besides - mass production, they are now transitioning to innovative, high-value-added high-tech industries, such as electromobility, space research, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence. This is the essence of Donald Trump's new American economic policy."
In recent decades, Western liberals have invented and built up what's called woke capitalism. Western liberal politicians have replaced the principles of competitiveness and performance with the propaganda of diversity. They have placed diversity above competition and profitability, convincing themselves that they are on the right side of history, working for the world’s proper order. In reality, they have destroyed economic growth, sent inflation soaring, and shut down factories. Wages have decreased alarmingly, but none of that matters. What’s important is that they believe they are the good people, morally superior, standing above the entire world,
– PM Orban emphasized.
He described the "green transition" and "green economy" plans as telling examples, arguing that thy are destroying European industry. "This is woke capitalism," he said. "The good news is that America has woken up. They’ve realized that if things continue this way, the whole world, and especially China, will pass them by, and at best, they will only become a market for super-modern products made elsewhere. If things continue like this, they will no longer write the future; at best, they will be able to read about it, and over time, they will lose the ability to even understand what is happening around, and to them." So, in the U.S. people have decided to quit this madness.
This is what Donald Trump's victory is about, and this is what the new American economic policy, which begins in six and a half hours, represents.
PM Orban also discussed the third area of competition among major powers: the competition of state organizational models. "Everywhere, people are searching for the most favorable and best-performing forms of social organization," he stated. "There are exciting and instructive debates on this taking place from Washington to China, from India to Russia, and from Iran to Israel and Turkey."
What all those who have eyes to see can see is that the West's liberal state organization model, which they call liberal democracy, has failed. It collapsed under its own the weight, and its own mistakes. The place of this failure is non other than its homeland, the United States,
– PM Orban contended.
Its traits are an over-bureaucratized state system, an excessively regulated economy, and a state that is incapable of movement and action. "A state that no longer works for its citizens, but against them," he said. "This is what the Americans have rebelled against. The U.S. rebellion opens up space, provides an opportunity, and legitimizes the competition between different state organizational models. Starting tomorrow, we'll witness the start of a showdown between the systems of America, and Brussels."
And finally, the fourth area of competition is that of identity, the cohesive force, and policies serving self-identity. Only such a power center can succeed where the foundation of state life is a shared identity. History, language, religion – these are all things that have been dismissed, and even looked down on by liberal democracy as outdated.
So, ladies and gentlemen, how does this relate to the Hungarian presidency? What does this have to do with our work? "My friends! For half a year, we saw from up close what was happening in Brussels. Down to the core. Examined it under a microscope. We penetrated to the very depths, and what we found was not pretty. What I saw was that the only geopolitical center not dealing with these future-defining issues is Brussels. Neither the changes in global politics nor their consequences for us are being addressed there. The European Union is not only behind in the race, as evidenced by Mr. Draghi's analysis, but it hasn’t even started preparing for the competition," Mr. Orban emphasized.
It stayed in the locker room, as if unaware that a decisive match is about to begin outside. If things continue like this, the EU will be left out of the competition, its economy will falter, and the conditions for a secure life will disappear. Therefore, the European Union must sober up, but instead, it is still in the throes of indulgence. It doesn't want peace but continues to coearce the war. It doesn't want border protection; it wants migrants. It doesn't protect families; it defends gender. It doesn't want affordable energy; it wants green policies,
– PM Orban said.
We have taken on the debates
He emphasized: "Our conscience is clear. We said it, we said it even at the cost of serious debates, and we warned. The Hungarian presidency clearly articulated that the war is weakening Europe. We will suffer defeat. In fact, we have already suffered defeat. This is not a football match, so it's not about who stands on whose side, and who's rooting for whom.
This is not a game, it's war, and the fight is at our expense. If a war is taking place on the European continent, we can all only lose. It's not just Ukraine that is losing to the war; it's all European national economies. Prices are soaring, our money is being consumed by the Ukrainian front, sanctions have hit our businesses hard, and energy prices are executing European companies that were still competitive before the war.
The Hungarian presidency raised the flag of peace, opened the door to a ceasefire and peace talks, initiated dialogue with the warring sides, and put pressure on European leaders to restart diplomacy and communication. Communication is only unnecessary in a war where the parties aim for the complete annihilation of the other. But do we really believe that our soldiers will be marching under the EU flag in Moscow’s Red Square? Because if we don’t believe that, we must keep the diplomatic channels open. This is what we did, even though we could only do so on a national basis, due to the majority of member states opposing peace," he said.
And today, we are proud to pass the peace baton to the new American government. Let’s face it, this is more fitting for them, or rather, it is proportional to them. Good intentions, courage, diplomatic skill, and Christian duty are all admirable, but in the end, peace requires strength,
– Mr. Orban said.
Enlargement of the Schengen area a historic achievement
Ha stated: in line with our geopolitical interests, we facilitated Romania's and Bulgaria’s accession to the borderless European area, initiated association talks with Albania, and brought every Balkan country closer to the European Union. We adopted a joint plan for simpler economic regulations, strengthening agriculture, and reducing energy prices. We even achieved success in policies that strengthen identity. With Ms. Meloni leading the way, we launched a rebellion against Brussels' migration policy and held a demographic summit, perhaps for the first time in the history of the European Union.
We've adopted documents recognizing the values of Jewish life in the midst of a resurging wave of antisemitism in Western Europe, and we've founded Patriots for Europe, a party that provides a strong representation of the national sovereignty mindset in Brussels.
"So this is what happened, this is what we achieved in Europe, and it is no small feat. In fact, it is progress not seen in years," Mr. Orban stated.
Hungary's place
The question is, where does Hungary stand in all this? Like the big players, we Hungarians are also working to be winners in the emerging and promising new world order. We modernized the foundational structure of our economy as early as the beginning of the 2010s. We shifted the focus of the tax system from labor to consumption, with low taxes on labor, one million new jobs, full employment, an environment that is supportive of investments and businesses, continuous wage growth, except for one year—the year of war sanctions.
We placed families at the center of the economy and society, then integrated universities into the economic system, established new foundations for research and innovation, and finally, we also began building the most advanced new industries in Hungary.
The includes the world’s most cutting-edge factories in the field of electromobility, the development and launch of our own satellite system, joining the most modern defense research, the initiation of laser industry and healthcare top-tier research—all of this, with a Nobel laureate in the field. This work never ends, and there’s never enough new technology," Mr. Orban said.
Family-centered policies
As early as since 2010, we have written a new constitution based on sovereign principles protecting the national family and community, building on Christian traditions, and introduced new methods of state organization.
As they say in America about us, we were already Trump before Trump. We are strong in the fields of economy, state organization and self-identity. We are belong to the world’s top tier, we are not followers, as we were for centuries, but pioneers, trendsetters, and bold experimenters. That’s why we are icons for Western conservatives, and that’s why we are deeply hated by Western liberals. And it is precisely the struggles we have fought over the past 15 years that now give Hungary the opportunity to adopt a new economic policy.
– PM Orban underlined, adding that
We have now launched this new economic policy, with its first 21-point action plan now becoming a reality in Hungary's economic life. Its political foundation and support come from the most recent National Consultation public survey, which focused on economic neutrality. 1.35 million people participated in the survey, and 95% of them supported the idea that the new economic policy should be based on neutrality—economic neutrality.
Liberals tend to view the doctrine of economic neutrality more as a communication tool or a serious-sounding political gimmick, a though that somehow doesn’t delve into the deeper connections. However, economic neutrality is the idea and political direction that defines Hungary's position and path in the international space. A position and path that differ, even oppose, the expectations of Brussels. We can say that it is what defines Hungary’s independent policy.
The current leaders of the European Union have isolated it, yet they call us isolated—but don’t let this deceive us. We are facing an old communist trick," Mr. Orban emphasized. They always accuse their opponents of doing what they themselves are doing. The truth is that there is no other continent so isolated from all the major players in the new world order. Europe has isolated itself from the new American leadership.
European liberals depicted Donald Trump as a demon, and sadly, not only do we Europeans remember this, but so does the new American administration. The EU isolated itself from China by labeling the world’s economic superpower as a systemic rival and waging a trade war against it. The EU also isolated itself from Russia. European leaders refer to the Russia-Ukraine war as their own, and they dismantled the combination of cheap Russian energy and advanced European technology and economic structure without replacing it with anything. And the EU has also isolated itself from the continent of the future—Africa,
– PM Orban emphasized.
Flawed liberal system
According to Hungary's prime minister, instead of common sense, they impose foreign LGBTQ and gender policies as a condition for cooperation, which has made a trust-based system of relations impossible. Meanwhile, under the Hungarian presidency, we Hungarians have continuously built future cooperation with the Republican president, who won a resounding victory, maintained communication channels, and ensured cooperation with Russia for energy security. Nearly half of China’s high-tech investments in Europe come to Hungary, and Hungarian water management and agricultural expertise is widely welcomed in Africa. If this continues, the EU will be the absolute sore loser in the new world order.
Thank you, but we do not want any part of this losers' game. We want friends, cooperation, economic relations, business benefits, and advantages in international politics,
– Mr. Orban declared.
"So let’s pause here for a moment, dear comrades in Brussels, because the mask has finally fallen, and it’s hard to find a more hypocritical political class anywhere in the world than Brussels’ bureaucrats," he said.
"While they demand that we cut our dependence on Russia's energy carriers, Western Europe has never before seen such high volumes of Russian liquefied natural gas arrive. Meanwhile, the major EU companies have procured their own Russian oil, through Asian detours. A Brussels official holding a 45-minute presentation on the systematic avoidance of sanctions sums up his point by stating that the sanctions are working. And when I look at the new package, the new sanctions package, I see that their imagination has now extended to the point where they want to add football teams to this new sanctions list."
Effective Hungarian strategy
We Hungarians, in contrast to Brussels, have a well-crafted strategy for the upcoming new global era. And its results are clear. Even our opponents can only dispute these with a degree of embarrassed shame. Everyone has a job. And families in Hungary pay the lowest utility rates all across Europe," Mr. Orban said.
We have brought down inflation effectively. As a result, last year we were able to increase pensions in real terms, and we were able to give pensioners 150 billion forints more than the increase in line with inflation. Wages have started to rise, we have doubled family tax benefits, and alongside student loans, we are introducing workers’ loans. The budget deficit is decreasing, and public debt is not growing. No one disputes that in 2025, Hungary's economic growth will be at least double that of the European Union,
emphasized Viktor Orban. He highlighted that public investments worth 450 billion forints will be launched. Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises will receive 1,400 billion forints in 2025. The savings of Hungarian families will be at least one and a half times the European Union average. In this light, the question arises: if Brussels is going one way and we are going another, if they stand here and we stand there, what will the relationship between Brussels and Hungary be like in the coming years?
The starting point for Hungary’s presidency was focusing primarily on the Hungarian people and not the EU presidency. Similarly, the relationship between Brussels and Budapest will also be shaped in line with the interests of the Hungarian people. What will happen cannot be derived from the interests of the European Union but from Hungary's grand strategy. The fundamental question, therefore, is whether it matters to us if Europe and the EU are sick or healthy.
The EU being sick is one thing. But Hungary must be healthy, as we do not aim to shape Europe; we simply want to live a life of our own choice, and all we care about is ensuring that no one else can thwart this, he said, adding that unfortunately, it is not that simple. In 2025, this attitude will no longer be sustainable.
First of all, because the content and quality of EU economic rules impact the success of Hungarian economic actors. The effects of bad economic policy pursued in Brussels can be mitigated in Budapest but not entirely eliminated. Moreover, there are exclusive EU competencies, such as trade and customs policy, which are important, even fundamental issues. Therefore, for Hungary, it is not indifferent whether the EU is sick or healthy,
he stressed.
