Hungary’s future, even in a 15- to 20-year perspective, could be determined by the question of Ukraine’s EU membership, the Hungarian prime minister pointed out at a public forum in Pilisvorosvar near Budapest. Hungarians always like to talk about how things can get be better, he noted, adding that, however, sometimes we must also look at how things could get worse. This is what the consultative vote is about, he said.
At the forum, Viktor Orban pointed out that Brussels issued an order that Ukraine must join the European Union by 2030. "That’s less than five years away – it’s knocking on the door," he noted. If this happens, everything we've heard about the Ukrainian mafia, public safety, and agriculture could be confirmed, he said.
If someone claims that they will bring the EU funds home and at the same time, support Ukraine's membership in the European Union, they are obviously lying.
Because if Ukraine becomes a member of the EU, there won’t be any money to bring home, he stressed.
The prime minister went on to point out how significant the outcome of the public opinion vote will be in the hands of the government. "I can tell you in all seriousness that if the Hungarian public doesn’t show a strong and clear majority against Ukraine’s EU membership, then we may not be able to protect Hungary’s interests in European forums through the government's power alone," he stated.
"This time it’s literally true that it won’t work without you. It won’t be easy even with your help. I hope to see you again before the elections, and then you’ll see that I’ll be more worn out than I am now, but
this one will be the toughest and biggest battle of the next six months in the entire European Union, because it will decide the future of the EU,
PM Orban stressed.
An order has been issued that Ukraine must be brought into the EU by 2030, he said. “I’m not even saying that someday, in 20-30-40 years, things couldn’t unfold in a way that Ukraine could meet the conditions for accession without causing damage to the Hungarian economy,” he said. “But I am certain this is not foreseeable within the next 15 years,” he opined. I dare to say this, all the more so because countries are admitted to the EU and are placed in terms of voting rights and financial support, for example, on the basis of their size,” he pointed out.
“How big was Ukraine this morning? And how many people live there?" the prime minister asked. It is not even known whether there would be a lasting solution guaranteed by an international peace treaty, an end to the war, or a frozen conflict with weekly border skirmishes, he said.
“Of course, everyone can have a personal opinion about Ukrainians. But I think what matters now isn’t what we think about them, but what we think about ourselves," he noted.
So regardless of our opinions of Ukrainians, the fast-tracking of this country into the EU is a risk we should not take,
he explained.
Viktor Orban addressed this also to those who, as good Christians, want to help the Ukrainians because they are a war-stricken people. “But we’re not taught anywhere that helping others means destroying ourselves. If we destroy ourselves, how will we help those in need next time? So I say with a clear conscience to our Christian community that
in this public opinion vote, we should think and vote purely from the perspective of Hungarian interests and protecting what Hungary has achieved.
Responding to a question from communications director Tamas Menczer, the prime minister also commented on the Tisza Party. “It seems like we’re dealing with something new because there hasn’t been a party with that name before. But if we scratch the surface and look under the rug, we’ll see there’s nothing new here,” Viktor Orban pointed out.
"We need to clarify who we are and who are those who are not us, but rather forces opposing us,” he said, adding that “we are the Hungarians.” He then elaborated at length on te Hungarian national character and values, concluding that a national community also includes those who do not identify with the nation.
"They definitely differ from ‘us’ in that they don’t believe our shared destiny hinges on national independence and sovereignty. They represent a political tradition with deep historical roots. They believe Hungary needs an external point of reference because Hungarians alone are not enough – they can't stand on their own feet, can’t progress, can’t be free, can't do without outside help,” he said, adding that
Without offending them, we usually say they are part of the nation, like the 'ill fate' in our national anthem.
Orban mentioned a third, deceptive group – “those who sometimes call themselves Hungarians, but really aren’t: they are from Brussels". He said their goal is for Hungary to fulfill all the requirements and demands from Brussels to integrate fully into the broader European community.
“The members of the Democratic Coalition (DK) speak more boldly than the Tisza Party. They even say Hungary should become part of a United States of Europe, ending its 1100-year history. It’s clear who we are, and we know who they are,” he said.
According to Viktor Orban, however, the idea that he feels is very important is often misinterpreted here: “the homeland cannot be in opposition.” "We were in opposition, but the homeland was not in opposition then either, because the homeland must be served. We, the Fidesz and the Christian Democrats, can be in opposition, but the homeland never is, it is somewhere higher,” he stated.
He also addressed the scandal involving Kinga Kollar, an MEP for the Tisza Party. He pointed out that her statements could’ve come from Ferenc Gyurcsany. “Even though the latter is from the old opposition and the former is from the new,” he added, taking the view that
today’s ruling parties are facing the same opponents as before – only the name of the party is new.
“And I don’t want to speak ill of anyone, especially not locals, but if I were to walk down the street here looking for opposition voters, I wouldn’t be surprised to find people who used to vote for DK and now vote for the Tisza,” he said.
He pointed to the Tisza Party’s “Voice of the Nation” vote, noting that this part of the country looks to Brussels for salvation with 58 percent of them voting in favor of Ukraine’s EU membership.
And then there’s us – and I believe we are many more, at least on this issue – who will mark 'no' on that ballot sheet,
he underlined. He said the result of the consultative vote will be a legitimate national statement the government can refer to in unavoidable battles over this issue.
"The homeland is above all! If God wanted to help the Hungarians, He’d help the Left understand that there is a homeland above all – one that must be served whether in opposition or in government,” he emphasized.
In response to another question, Orban also commented on the scandal involving Peter Magyar and the National Bank. "Imagine if I called the Hungarian National Bank this morning and yelled at a clerk there, asking what they think they’re doing sending me all these papers. (…) A clerk, a woman who went to work in the morning, doing her job, answering the phone, and then gets yelled at and threatened. That’s a different world."
A clerk, a woman who went to work in the morning, doing her job, answering the phone, and then gets yelled at and threatened. That’s a different world.
We make many mistakes too, but on our side, respect is the baseline – even toward opponents, within reason – but for all decent people, always,
Viktor Orban said.
He then turned to the expectations being imposed on Hungary from Brussels. The first and most important, he said, is Ukraine’s EU membership. “The second most important, which I consider even more serious, is that Hungary remains migrant-free. That’s not how we’re supposed to say it – correctly we should say there are ‘no illegal migrants in Hungary,’ but in reality, we don’t have any kind of migrants, and we won’t as long as a national government is in power," he emphasized.
He reminded the audience of the EU’s active law – the Migration Pact – which Hungary is supposed to implement.
“This morning I checked the numbers – we’ve crossed 500 million euros in penalties because we refuse to comply. That’s a lot of money. (…)
But I want to tell everyone: there is no amount of money greater than the cost of letting them in,
he pointed out, adding that if Hungary were not led by a national government, conditions would be like those in Vienna, Germany, or France.
The third Brussels demand is market-based energy pricing.
He pointed out that Hungary does not apply market prices for residential energy. “It would be nice if market prices were low enough so that people could afford to heat their homes and run their households – but they’re not. So we have to intervene,” he emphasized.
The fourth demand from Brussels is to abolish the extra taxes on multinationals and banks.
But if we stop taxing them the way we do now, then we can say goodbye to the 13th month pension.
And that's what they are saying: the pension system needs to be reformed, the 13th month pension abolished, taxes for the banks and multinationals cut, and then Brussels will be happy.
So there are four things: the economic consequences of Ukraine joining the EU; migrants in Hungary; ending taxes on banks and multinationals; and abolishing the 13th month pension and the household energy price reduction scheme.
“These four things would immediately follow if a Brussels-backed political force formed a government in Hungary. I warn everyone about these four dangers. And if you speak with your neighbors, I ask you to repeat these four points every time,” Viktor Orban said in conclusion.
