Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Marine Le Pen at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest on Wednesday, to discuss, among other issues, the need for ‘a united and robust response’ of European right-wing parties to the misguided policies of Brussels ahead of the upcoming European parliamentary elections.

Csaba Lantos stated that to aid families, the government continues to provide reduced utility prices, making Hungary home to the cheapest household natural gas and electricity prices in Europe.

During her meeting with Musk, the Hungarian President observed that while addressing climate change is necessary, ‘if there are no future generations, there is no point in caring for the Earth.’ Novák emphasized her commitment to families and addressing demographic issues, recalling that family policy has been a priority in Hungary in the past decade, leading to tangible improvements in demographic figures.

Orbán began his speech by asserting that ‘this year has enormous amounts at stake because the Soros empire, in collaboration with the governing American Democrats, is launching an attack on right-wing media and enthusiastic national parties in many European countries, portraying themselves as Goliaths’.

The social media giant’s owner commented on Tucker Carlon’s interview with PM Viktor Orbán on X (Twitter), praising Hungary for its family protection measures. In response, President Novák invited him to the Budapest Demographic Summit this fall. Jordan Peterson also joined the discussion.

For the government, the successful fight against inflation is a key issue as it aims to restore the previous trend of continuous wage growth, disrupted by the protracted war and the misguided sanctions.

Government spokesperson Alexandra Szentkirályi noted on public radio that inflation decreased to 17.6 per cent in July, representing a 2.5 per cent decrease compared to the previous month, and a 0.9 per cent decrease in food prices. On an annual basis, the combined effect of multiple government measures has practically cut the inflation of food prices in half, she stressed.

Based on the latest data, nearly 4.8 million people are employed in Hungary, and the unemployment rate stands at 3.8 per cent, well below the EU average. The data reflects that the Hungarian labour market remains tight, and employment is in good condition, State Secretary Sándor Czomba stated.

According to the ministry’s statement issued on 4 August, in July the average prices of products in 62 product categories decreased by an average of 7.7 per cent. This reduction was a result of price decreases in 53 product categories within one month. The decrease in food prices had a 0.7 percentage point impact on reducing inflation and a two percentage point impact on reducing food inflation according to the weighting of the shopping basket used by the Central Statistical Office.

To further intensify price competition, the government decided to raise the level of mandatory discounts from ten per cent to at least 15 per cent starting today.

The CEO of BNP Paribas Cardif, Márk István Kiss, noted in the press release presenting the results of the survey that the rising prices and the challenging economic situation have not significantly impacted labour market processes, and the mood of Hungarian employees seems to be stabilising overall.

The 2024 budget is a defence budget because during times of war, Hungary needs a budget that guarantees its security, protects families, pensions, jobs, and reduces utility costs, the Hungarian finance minister stated in parliament on Tuesday.

Starting from today, the mandatory discount programme has been launched in grocery stores all over the country to make sure Hungarian families have access to basic foodstuffs at affordable prices.