Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has described as a ‘legitimate debate’ the question of whether rental housing or home ownership offers a better path for young people. However, he stressed that for Hungarians, true independence and security are rooted in owning one’s home. Speaking on public Kossuth Radio on Friday morning, Orbán presented the government’s vision: a society where desired children are born, families are financially supported, and young people can realistically afford to purchase their own property.
Addressing recent wage payments that included an increased family tax allowance, Orbán said he was closely following the financial impact of the measures. According to him, many in the West have chosen to offset declining birth rates by allowing migration, expecting newcomers to sustain their economies. ‘We see this is not the case,’ he said, calling migration a ‘substitute’ for native-born children.
Orbán rejected this approach outright, stating that Hungary aims to remove barriers to family formation instead. The government’s ultimate goal, he explained, is to ensure that raising children brings greater financial benefits than remaining childless, a balance that he says is now close to being achieved. Measures include making maternity and parental benefits tax-free, worth tens of thousands of forints in extra monthly income for families, and doubling the child-related tax allowance, a policy affecting one million households.
Turning to housing, Orbán emphasized that while both rental schemes and ownership initiatives have value, the government prioritizes helping people acquire their own property. ‘The Hungarian dream is a home of your own,’ he said, describing this as the foundation of independence and the middle class. The recently launched Home Start programme offers a 25-year fixed-rate loan without currency or interest risk, which Orbán claims can make mortgage repayments cheaper than rent. For example, a 20 million forint loan could save households around 60,000 forints monthly compared to market rates.
The programme is open to all buyers, regardless of family status, and can be used for both new and second-hand properties, subject to price caps designed to prevent market inflation and exclude luxury housing from subsidies. The maximum purchase price is 100 million forints for apartments and 150 million for houses, with a per-square-metre limit of 1.5 million forints.
Responding to critics, including opposition politician Péter Magyar, who warned of a sharp rise in housing prices, Orbán dismissed the claims as unfounded and driven by ‘a lack of understanding’. He recalled that previous governments had to rescue a million people from foreign currency loan traps, while his administration has also lifted a million citizens out of poverty through job creation.
On foreign affairs, Orbán touched on the ongoing EU–US trade dispute, warning that rising tariffs threaten European jobs and justifying Hungary’s job protection and industry protection action plan. He reiterated his call for an ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Ukraine, arguing that peace would allow Hungary’s economy to reach its full potential.
The prime minister also proposed that instead of the EU leadership, the German chancellor and French president should represent Europe in direct talks with Moscow, and urged the organization of a Russia–Europe summit to push for peace alongside potential US–Russia negotiations.
In closing, Orbán criticized what he described as disinformation campaigns funded by the Soros Foundation and dollar media in cooperation with Brussels, aimed at installing a ‘Brussels puppet government’ in Hungary. He drew parallels with US politics, referencing what he called a fabricated narrative about ties between Donald Trump and Russia.
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