Patriots for Europe (PfE), founded at the end of June and quickly becoming the third-largest political group in the new European Parliament, held its first official summit in Brussels on Thursday morning. In addition to the three founders—Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; leader of the Austrian Freedom Party Herbert Kickl; and Andrej Babiš, former Czech prime minister and Chairman of the ANO party—the meeting was attended by all the leaders of the PfE parties, including right-wing heavyweights such as Geert Wilders, Matteo Salvini, Jordan Bardella, and Santiago Abascal.
‘The peoples of Europe have had enough of illegal migration, failed economic policies, and the bureaucrats in Brussels. We will make sure their voices are heard!’ Viktor Orbán wrote in a post on X after the meeting.
We kicked the day off with the @PatriotsEU Leaders’ Meeting in #Brussels. The peoples of Europe have had enough of illegal migration, failed economic policies and the bureaucrats in Brussels. We will make sure that their voices are heard! We will #MakeEuropeGreatAgain ! pic.twitter.com/LPJ9BEIMBo
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) October 17, 2024
After the summit PfE issued a statement saying that the meeting had focused on the key issues to be addressed at the European Council later on Thursday. ‘Foremost among these is the issue of migration. Contrary to the European Commission’s policy of promoting uncontrolled immigration, the Patriots for Europe remind that protecting the EU’s external borders is a duty, not a crime,’ the PfE statement reads.
The parties reaffirmed their support for Italian Deputy Prime Minister and League Party leader Matteo Salvini, who faces a critical hearing on Friday in a trial where he risks a six-year jail sentence for defending Italy’s—and by extension, Europe’s—borders. In this context, they agreed on the need for member states to have the option to opt-out of or suspend the application of EU migration policies that violate their national security or sovereignty.
Patriots for Europe leaders also condemned the comments made by Ursula von der Leyen last week in the European Parliament toward Viktor Orbán. ‘The President of the European Commission clearly violated her obligation to sincerely cooperate with the Council,’ the statement reads.
‘The change we are calling for is taking shape through an increasingly strong and coordinated political family. The leaders of Patriots are delighted with the recent successes of its member parties in the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, and last weekend in Belgium (Flanders). More than ever, they form the first opposition party in the European Union,’ they concluded.
Three Battles to Be Fought
Immediately after the PfE meeting the European Council summit of EU Heads of State and Government began, with leaders once again discussing key issues. Viktor Orbán highlighted the significance of today’s summit in a Facebook post, noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would present his ‘victory plan’ on Thursday. The prime minister added that what Zelenskyy outlined the previous day in front of the Ukrainian parliament was ‘more than frightening’.
‘I am among those urging the European Union to change its current strategy. The EU entered this war with a poorly organized, poorly executed, and poorly calculated strategy, for which the President of the Commission bears primary responsibility. We are losing this war, so the strategy is not working. It must change,’ Orbán stressed.
According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Europe must shift from a strategy of war to one of peace. ‘Today, I will continue to urge the German Chancellor and the French President, on behalf of the entire European Union, to initiate talks with the Russians as soon as possible to find a way out of this situation,’ he said.
‘We are losing this war, so the strategy is not working. It must change’
Orbán pointed out that there will be a second ‘battle’ today at the summit regarding the EU’s migration policy. ‘Several of us want to change the migration rules. Hungary is being punished for protecting the Union’s borders. This is unacceptable. Fortunately, more and more countries are recognizing that there is a migration crisis, and changes must be made,’ the prime minister wrote.
Recently, Germany reintroduced border controls at its land borders, and reports in recent days suggest that the Polish government under Donald Tusk will not accept the measures outlined in the new migration pact. Furthermore, several EU Member States have also decided to reintroduce border controls, raising concerns about the future of the Schengen area.
According to the prime minister, a third battle awaits the member states at the Council meeting, focusing on economic measures that would harm Hungarian families. ‘Tax increases, the abolition of cuts in public utility bills, the overhaul of the pension system, and the abolition of the 13th month pension—these are the demands the bureaucrats are making of Hungary. I will reject this, and I will defend the most important elements of the new economic policy that protects families,’ he concluded.
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