"The leaders of the European Union have already taken a stance on Ukraine’s accession; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that they are determined to fast-track the process for the neighboring country. So Ukraine is knocking on open doors if Brussels has its way, and they want to admit Ukraine into the EU before 2030, that is, before the end of the current Commission’s term,” said Balazs Orban, the Hungarian prime minister's political director, at the Mateszalka stop of the Voks 25 campaign trail on Tuesday. He added that the opposition has also made its position clear, as the Tisza Party announced a vote which revealed that supporting Ukraine’s EU accession and speeding up the process is part of their program, Szon.hu reported.
(Photo: Kata Bozso)
Balazs Orban: The Stakes Are Huge
"The Hungarian government and the political community of the Fidesz and the Christian Democrats (KDNP) believe that in such a situation, Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession would imply an unpredictable burden for Europe and for our country. Here in Mateszalka and along Hungary's eastern border, we know exactly—and people would tangibly feel—what risks this would bring," Balazs Orban continued.
- According to calculations, if Ukraine joins the European Union, then within a five-year period Hungary would have to spend more than 60 percent of its annual budget on supporting Ukraine. This is an astonishing amount.
- According to the World Bank, the cost of rebuilding Ukraine would start at 500 billion dollars, with another 100 billion dollars needed to finance the functioning of the Ukrainian state. Considering that the United States and the Trump administration no longer want to contribute to supporting Ukraine in the same way the Biden administration did, all related costs would fall on the EU member states.
- Opening the borders would allow criminal groups to move freely. There are no answers to what would happen to the vast number of unregulated weapons currently in Ukraine.
- There is no answer to how we would protect EU agriculture from Ukrainian products, and it is clearer than ever that if Ukraine's underdeveloped regions become part of the EU, we would no longer have access to the Cohesion Fund and other EU funds, meaning that Hungary becomes a net contributor.
(Photo: Kata Bozso)
“The stakes are huge,” emphasized Balazs Orban, political director. “The European elite and the Hungarian opposition clearly believe that this accession process must be completed as soon as possible, but we believe that such a decision cannot be made over the heads of Hungary and the Hungarian people. That’s why the government initiated a referendum, and we believe that we must say no to Ukraine’s EU accession.”
