– "Some two million and a few hundred thousand people have already expressed their opinion on Ukraine’s EU membership — that shows how important the Voks 2025 ballot really is," PM Viktor Orban told public Kossuth Radio on Friday morning. He encouraged those who haven’t yet voted to follow the example of those who have. There is still time to participate in Voks 2025 until midnight tonight.
He reminded listeners that the entire European Union — including the Tisza Party and the Democratic Coalition (DK) — supports Ukraine’s EU membership. The prime minister warned, however, that fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession poses real threats to everyday life. If Ukraine becomes a full member of the EU by 2030, farmers would lose their land-based subsidies and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian workers would flood into the union, he said, listing the risks.
It’s going to be an ugly job,
– Mr. Orban said, with regard to the upcoming European Council summit, where Ukraine’s accession will be the main topic. The prime minister expects a fierce debate, hopefully within intelligent bounds. He said this is a situation where experience matters, and since Hungary’s government has been in place longer than any other in the EU, “there is strategic calm.” But strength is needed too, he added — strength that comes from knowing what the Hungarian people think. “It matters whether, when I speak up, I represent the government or the will of a nation. That’s a power that cannot be ignored or brushed aside,” he said firmly.
“This decision must be made now—because the question is being decided now,” he said, justifying the need for Voks 2025. He added: “Once the EU starts down a path, it can’t be stopped — it’s a steamroller that flattens everything in its way.”
The EU must not be underestimated, and we must not let it gain momentum.
According to PM Orban, the dynamic is the same everywhere: there are the national forces that oppose Ukraine’s membership, reject migration, and do not want to hand powers over to Brussels. But there's also another group that supports Ukraine, backs migration, and advocates for even more rights to be given to Brussels.
Patriots on one side, federalists on the other,
– the prime minister observed.
Regarding the Israel-Iran conflict, PM Orban emphasized that Iran is located along strategically critical trade routes through which 20 to 30 percent of global commerce passes. It is a powerful, large, and ethnically diverse country. Should Iran collapse, the result would be destabilization, he warned. If war causes Iran to disintegrate, the conflict won’t remain inside Iran’s borders — it will spread to numerous neighboring countries. He warned that the real danger is that a significant portion of the world could become ungovernable.
Brussels Sides with Multinationals
“If we can’t import gas from Russia, household utility costs will jump two and a half times,” the prime minister said, referring to planned EU sanctions that would ban Russian oil and gas imports. He stated that Brussels is pushing policies that run counter to Hungarian interests — and those policies must be opposed.
Since EU sanctions require unanimous approval, PM Orban previously vetoed the energy-related decision. “Now they want to take that power from us — something we fought hard to secure. They plan to do it using a trick: by calling it a trade policy decision, not a sanction. That’s an affront to the rule of law as understood in Brussels.”
If majority voting were to prevail in the EU, and if Hungary were stripped of its veto rights, that would mean the end of Hungary’s thousand-year-old statehood. This is a matter of historic consequence,
– PM Orban pointed out.
He also noted that Brussels wants to eliminate the interest rate cap in Hungary because it causes 55 billion forints in losses to banks. But that money stays with Hungarian families, shielding them from bankruptcy, the prime minister stressed. The interest rate cap affects roughly 300,000 families. According to Orban, the cap must remain in place until the central bank can lower the base rate. “This is one of our battles in Brussels—they don’t care about Hungarian families,” the prime minister said.
In terms price margin regulation, Mr. Orban explained: without it, consumers would have to pay 20 percent more for basic goods. The government has imposed a 10 percent cap on how much markup multinational chains can add to prices, but they want more profit. “That’s unjustified,” Orban stated. “There is a breaking point where people go under — where families suffer economic damage. The Hungarian government must intervene on their behalf.”
Brussels always stands with the multinationals. The margin cap is a tool that protects families’ livelihoods — it’s good for Hungarian families
– "So we’re not going to scrap it, even if they'll sue us in the EU court. And by the time the case concludes, we hope prices will have normalized,” Mr. Orban said.
Ambitious Goals Set
PM Orban emphasized that if the world was to go up in flames, then the budget designed for peacetime must also be revised. He described next year’s budget as “a budget of intent”—arguing that even in hard times, a government must set goals. The government, he said, has set ambitious goals and will not sit by idly to just watch as global events unfold.
As of July 1, the child tax credit will be increased by 50 percent. Starting in August, both maternity leave (GYED) and childbirth allowance (CSED) will be tax-exempt. In towns with fewer than 10,000 residents, local government workers’ salaries will rise by 15 percent—and again by another 15 percent in January. Also in January, the child tax credit will be raised by another 50 percent, and parents with two or more children will be permanently exempt from paying income tax, Mr. Orban said, listing the measures.
There are goals that matter to Hungarian families—and the government must achieve them,
– the prime minister emphasized.
Cover photo: Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Kossuth Radio's studio (Photo: MTI / Prime Minister’s Press Office / Benko Vivien Cher)
