The establishment of a new European party family was announced by Viktor Orbán this morning in Vienna, after he held talks with Herbert Kickl, Chairman of the Austrian Freedom Party, and Andrej Babiš, the former Czech prime minister and Chairman of the ANO party. A Patriotic Manifesto drafted by the three European leaders was also presented, summing up the new alliance’s vision for Europe.

On Sunday, 30 June 2024 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that a new era in European politics has begun. At a press conference held jointly with Herbert Kickl and Andrej Babiš, PM Orbán outlined the vision for a revamped European political alliance. The new political family aims to reshape the landscape of European governance and address the pressing issues faced by the continent, the Hungarian prime minister said.

Orbán stressed the need for peace, order, and development, which he believes the current Brussels elite has failed to deliver. He reminded that several European governments have resigned following the European Parliament elections, proving that democracy functions at the national level. However, he argued, the Brussels elite continues to resist change because the EU’s structure is undemocratic.

Today we launched what will soon be the strongest right-wing political group in Europe. #PatriotsforEurope pic.twitter.com/loXD370dUU

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) June 30, 2024

Viktor Orbán also announced that

the trio have formulated a ‘Patriotic Manifesto for a European Future’,

which we are publishing in its entirety below (as translated by Hungarian Conservative):

‘The nations of Europe have reached a historical turning point. The European Union, once a dream project rooted in the desire for reconciliation after the devastation caused by two world wars and decades of division, has turned against Europeans and now represents interests that are contrary to the will of the nations, regions and small communities that make up our European homeland.

Institutions unknown to European citizens and distant from them—together with strong globalist forces, bureaucrats elected by no one, lobby and interest groups who disregard the voice of the majority and the wider popular democracy— plan to take the place of nations. And what is their tool for this? A central European state.

The recent European Parliament elections in June therefore had both generational and existential significance. The political divide is no longer between conservatives and liberals or right and left, but between centrists, the harbingers of a new European “superstate”,  and patriots and sovereigntists, who are fighting for the preservation and strengthening of European nations that they hold dear. It is only through

the victory and cooperation of the continent’s patriotic and sovereigntist parties that we can we guarantee our children’s heritage.

We believe in a Europe that

• consists of strong, proud and independent nations; of nations that can freely decide to co-exist and cooperate based on mutual agreement;

• cooperates through institutions rooted in nations; through institutions that act on behalf of and are accountable to the peoples of Europe;

• represents its interests sovereignly and unwaveringly, free from any dependence that hinders the implementation of the will of its national communities, whether domestically or abroad;

• is  committed to peace and dialogue, but at the same time ready to defend itself against all threats;

• defends and celebrates its European identity, traditions and customs, the fruit of the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian heritages;

• highly values ​​the inherent diversity of its nations, their history and way of life, and at the same time resists ultimatums aimed at changing it according to current trends in fashion;

• is a defender of real freedoms, fundamental rights and human dignity, and at the same time strongly resists any attempt to limit or reinterpret these freedoms;

• is competitive, productive, efficient and proud of its intellectual, scientific and economic achievements as a continent of innovation, excellence and progress;

• is determined to protect its borders, stop illegal migration and preserve its cultural identity, following the will of the vast majority of European citizens;

• consists of nations ready to defend their peoples against any and all potential threats, whether political, economic, religious or cultural in nature;

• respects its own mandate and rules, does not exceed its competences, observes the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, and in the future will not justify its attacks on national sovereignty by exerting pressure through the European budget;

• is a gathering of nations that rejects any further relinquishment of national sovereignty to European institutions;

• respects the right of veto of nations;

• recognizes diplomacy as a fundamental element of the sovereignty of member states and as a matter on which each nation can freely decide without forcing others to make the same decision.

We, the European patriotic forces, promise to return the future of our continent to the European people:

we will take back our institutions and steer European politics in a direction that serves our nations and peoples. We prioritize sovereignty over federalism, freedom over dictates, and peace: this is the manifesto of patriots serving Europe.’