Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered a speech in Tusnádfürdő (Băile Tușnad) at the 32nd Bálványos Summer Free University and Student Camp. Judging from the reactions of those present, the Prime Minister’s remarks resonated deeply with the audience, igniting a sense of national pride and unity. Orbán’s vision for Hungary’s future centred on preserving its cultural identity, upholding its unique constitution, and navigating the challenges posed by global power shifts and European dynamics. The speech reaffirmed Orbán’s commitment to protecting Hungary’s interests, both within the European Union and on the global stage. It highlighted the Hungarian government’s focus on family support, economic growth, and strengthening national identity. The address served as a call to action, inspiring the Hungarian people to work together and face the challenges ahead with determination and resilience. Unsurprisingly, the Hungarian opposition parties were not impressed.

Importance of Nation, Independence and Family Highlighted in the Speech

He addressed the challenges the country has faced in the past years, including Covid in 2020 and a war in 2022, which have diverted Hungary from its designated path. Orbán expressed hope that by July 2024, Hungary will have recovered economically and returned to a path of growth well above the European average.

The PM highlighted the progress Hungary has made, such as economic growth and improved university rankings, but also acknowledged the need to address issues like inflation and wages. He stressed the importance of family support policies and the nation’s unity.

Orbán discussed the shifting global balance of power, particularly China’s rise, and the impact on Europe. He criticised the European Union’s fear and isolationist tendencies, especially regarding Russia, advocating for better relations with the country. He also commented on the struggle between federalists and sovereigntists in Europe and

expressed hope for a favourable power balance after the 2024 European elections.

The prime minister emphasised Hungary’s unique intellectual and economic foundations, centred around attachment, family, and culture, and contrasted them with liberal-based societies that he believes have become hedonistic. Orbán vowed to continue fighting for Hungary’s interests in Europe, protecting its language, culture, and national identity.

He added that in order to prevent the population from decreasing, a fertility rate of 2.1 is necessary, and although Hungarian figures have recently improved, the country is still far from achieving the desired figure. The PM emphasised the urgency of the demographic situation, stating that Fidesz must mobilise all their strength, energy, and governmental-fiscal resources towards family policies.

In Orbán’s perspective, Hungary’s defence efforts are showing progress, as the country is among the few NATO Member States capable of allocating a minimum of two per cent of its annual gross domestic product for defence purposes. Additionally, the government has significantly increased funds for the programme aiming to unify the nation by 2030, ten times more than the allocation in 2010.

Addressing the presence of Romanian nationalists protesting at the camp’s entrance, the PM humorously remarked that he preferred to view them as some kind of reception committee, alluding to historical struggles fought for Christianity where Hungarian and Romanian Christians had common ground. He disclosed that he received a démarche from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

outlining what he was supposed to and not supposed to talk about in his speech.

Orbán noted that he had been advised not to discuss topics that might upset Romanian sensibilities, including national symbols, but he obviously chose to ignore that guidance and extended a warm welcome to those who displayed Hungarian and Szekler flags.

Orbán had apparently also been asked not to address collective minority rights, although he asserted that such rights do exist and are pertinent to the Hungarian population living in the region.

He also disclosed that the Romanian side had advised him to avoid certain sensitive issues, such as the ‘alleged existence of non-existent Romanian administrative territorial units’, such as Transylvania and Szeklerland. Orbán defiantly declared, to the applause of the audience:

‘We have never claimed that these were Romanian territories.’

The Hungarian prime minister had also been requested not to speak about Western values in a derogatory way. Orbán asserted that it seemed as thought the most important Western values held up these days are migration, LGBTQ rights, and war, which he did not need to cast in a negative light, as they are bad in and of themselves.

Orbán then addressed the issue of migration and LGBTQ rights, criticising the European Union’s rejection of Hungary’s Christian heritage and its attempts to impose a population exchange through migration and wage an LGBTQ campaign against pro-family European nations.

He argued that a political class had emerged within the EU that lacked accountability and democratic convictions, leading to the transformation of the European Union

to an unaccountable empire.

Despite these challenges, Orbán declared that Hungary would not compromise on its values, such a common homeland, language, culture, and public sphere, which he believed were essential for the security, freedom, and welfare of the Hungarian people.

He emphasised Hungary’s determination to persevere in its rights, remaining steadfast in the face of political or financial blackmail. While Orbán acknowledged the need for tactical and strategic decisions in certain areas, he firmly stated that Hungary would never compromise on matters that had historical significance.

The prime minister also laid out a series of tasks ahead. He emphasised the need for vigilance in global affairs, building connections in the world economy, continuing to fight for Hungary’s interests in the debates within the European Union, and persevering in intellectual issues to uphold the nation’s unique foundations. Furthermore, Orbán stressed the importance of national unity and the unification of the Hungarian people.

In a patriotic and spirited conclusion to his speech, Orbán called on the nation to stand together with the guiding principle of ‘The Lord above us all, Hungary before everything else.’ He urged his fellow Hungarians to remain steadfast in their commitment to the country, embracing their common values and heritage.

The speech was followed by a Q&A with the audience. When asked about his opinion about the Hungarian opposition, Orbán stated that ‘they are like the foam on a beer: it’s good to have, but it shouldn’t ruin the taste.’ In terms of the battery factories being built in Hungary, he said it was a huge misunderstanding on the part of the opposition to juxtapose Hungarian agriculture and food production with the construction of battery plants, stating the the former are ahead of ‘an unprecedented boom’.

The PM was also asked jokingly when Donald Trump would visit Tusványos, to which he replied that he was unable to answer that question, but added that judging from the fabulously opulent conditions he recently witnessed at the former President’s golf course, should he visit the summer camp, there should be ‘luxurious circumstances ensured’.

Opposition Parties’ Reactions to the Speech

As Orbán’s speech reverberated across the nation and beyond, it sparked discussions and debates on Hungary’s role in the changing global landscape and the importance of preserving national sovereignty and identity.

Reactions naturally started to pour right after the speech. Some opposition parties decided to limit their response to a few sentences, while others reacted in larger detail, albeit most chose to essentially mock the speech the PM.

The Momentum party offered a short and concise response, highlighting Viktor Orbán’s ‘only truthful statement’: ‘We are in big trouble.’ The party considered the rest of the speech as empty rhetoric from the prime minister and wished everyone a nice summer weather and good times for vacationing.

The Democratic Coalition’s response was even briefer, simply wishing everyone a pleasant summer weather and vacation when asked for a comment on the speech.

Imre Komjáthi, co-Chair of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), declared: ‘A few years ago at Tusványos, Viktor Orbán was promising his supporters that Hungary would be among the EU’s five most competitive countries by 2030. Now, he is asking for God’s help to reduced inflation to single digits by the end of the year.’

Bence Tordai, speaking on behalf of the Dialogue for Hungary-Greens party (Párbeszéd-Zöldek), said: ‘Once again, the Fidesz leader gave an incredibly disappointing speech.’ He stated that ‘the Fidesz leader tried to set a direction for political action, but this politics is not about winning the future, it’s about dominating the moment.’ The party’s president added, ‘Orbán sees the Hungary he leads as a bridge between East and West in his arrogance, while from the East’s perspective, the Fidesz PM is at best a ‘useful idiot’.’

The Jobbik-Conservatives party (Jobbik-Konzevatívok) believes that Orbán is still trying to ‘dupe the Hungarian people’ and referred to the speech as ‘Tusványos tales.’ The party stated: ‘The person who wants to continue to define the fate of the Hungarians for many more years is the one who, during his premiership, weakened the Hungarian currency to a record low, made inflation and food price increases European champions, and deepened the cost of living crisis. The person who only cares about power, who, as Europe’s most corrupt prime minister, steals money from the Hungarians, and who would lead Hungary out of the European Union.’

The Politics Can Be Different party (LMP) stated that speeches of this nature are usually delivered by retired political leaders, not by those who should find solutions to the most severe crisis of the past decades. The party argued that contrary to Orbán’s production report, the Hungarian economy did not stand on its own feet in the past ten years, but became infinitely dependent. Nevertheless, the prime minister’s response to the situation is adding the Chinese industry to the dependencies with the push for battery manufacturing, LMP wrote in their statement.

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Source: Hungarian Conservative/miniszterelnok.hu/MTI