On Wednesday Viktor Orbán presented the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency to the plenary in Strasbourg; however, instead of addressing the pressing challenges facing Europe, MEPs—led by Ursula von der Leyen—seized the opportunity to launch a personal political attack on the Hungarian Prime Minister, demonstrating that the left-wing majority does not allow for a professional debate.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conducted an intensive, nearly two-hour-long international press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday, outlining the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency. He is scheduled to present the programme to the plenary session of the European Parliament tomorrow morning.
‘In 2007, the combined economy of the six European nations in our example was more than ten times larger than that of the six Asian countries. Over the past 17 years, these Asian countries have grown by over 300 per cent—tripling in size—while Europe’s leading economies expanded by just 19 per cent. This means that the more than tenfold difference in 2007 has shrunk to just over four times (4.17).’
Polish MEPs Anna Brylka and Tomasz Buczek from the Konfederacja party have officially joined the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, further strengthening the faction led by Viktor Orbán. With their addition, the group now comprises 86 members from 13 countries, and aims to unite right-wing forces in the EP to challenge the dominant centre-right and centre-left factions.
‘We Hungarians have learned from South Korea’s success story that a strong economy cannot be built without a firm commitment to our values; thus, we have combined our traditions with technology,’ Balázs Orbán stated at the Hungary-Korea Forum. The political director of the Hungarian Prime Minister welcomed the deepening economic cooperation between the two countries at the event, which marked the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Parties belonging to Patriots for Europe (PfE) are achieving electoral successes one after the other: first, Andrej Babiš’s ANO party secured a major victory in the Czech regional and senate elections, followed by Herbert Kickl’s FPÖ emerging as the leading party in the Austrian parliamentary elections. These results indicate that the preferences of the European electorate align closely with the vision of the political group co-founded by Viktor Orbán, which continues to gain strength day by day.
Viktor Orbán paid an official visit to North Macedonia, where he also attended a joint meeting of the Hungarian and North Macedonian governments. Discussions focused on the Balkan country’s EU accession and the fight against illegal migration. The Hungarian PM stated that it is in the EU’s vital interest to complete the integration of the Balkan region as swiftly as possible.
In a recent podcast, Balázs Orbán drew a comparison between the 1956 Revolution and the war in Ukraine. His remarks, taken out of context and misinterpreted, were swiftly exploited to smear the government of Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán responded by stressing that the war in Ukraine must not be allowed to overshadow the memory of the heroes of 1956, and that Hungary’s position must always be articulated accurately and unambiguously.
In his speech at the Ludovika University campus in Budapest Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary has taken over the rotating presidency of the EU Council in uniquely hard times. He warned about Europe’s decreasing level of competitiveness, and stressed Hungary’s need to remain economically neutral. He nailed down that Hungary needs to conduct itself on the new bipolar global economic stage based on its own national interests.
At the annual Kötcse gathering of conservative political and cultural elites Viktor Orbán shared that an action plan has been drafted for a ‘peace budget’ that will involve wage hikes, as well as more government support for families and for businesses.