On Thursday, the prime ministerial summit began in Brussels. The budget modification by the European Commission, which requests a payment of approximately 75 billion euros from the member states: 50 billion euros for support to Ukraine, 15 billion euros for migration management, and an additional 10 billion euros for strategic sectors and maintaining Brussels bureaucracy, was presented at the meeting. According to leaked information, significant debates took place within the European Council regarding the migration pact.
It has been reported that the debate concluded around two in the morning, with the Polish-Hungarian axis insisting on the rejection of the migration pact. Meanwhile, Viktor Orbán announced that he would conduct his usual Friday morning radio interview from Brussels.
This morning, the prime minister explained on public Kossuth radio that there was ‘a migration war’ in the council chamber yesterday, and later today the budget issue would also arise. He stated that although the migration debate was also intense, everyone was bracing themselves for the budget debate.
The prime minister emphasised that the Commission announced that halfway through the seven-year cycle, the money had run out, and now they are requesting more funds despite the prior agreement that there would be no modifications. Orbán reported that the Commission is requesting the member states to pay billions of euros without knowing what the fate of the over 70 billion euros given to Ukraine (so far) has been. Regarding the interest on the loans taken from the recovery fund, amounting to 18-19 billion euros, he firmly stated that ‘we have not received a single eurocent from the fund.’
Viktor Orbán drew attention to the fact that, in addition to all this, the EU body itself requested a pay raise while they want to eliminate utility price reductions in Hungary. He believes this is so absurd that it leaves most EU leaders dumbfounded.
‘Who is responsible for bringing the Union to the brink of bankruptcy?’, the prime minister posed the rhetorical question.
Where is the Hungarians’ money? I’m afraid in Ukraine,’ he added.
The prime minister expressed his views on the war in Ukraine, stating that there are two schools of thought: ‘One has a voice. The other, besides mine, has none,’ he said. He mentioned that according to the first school, what the West has done so far regarding the war is good, and with its help, the Russians can be defeated. ‘I, on the other hand, say that a year and a half has passed. We did what we did. The result is zero. We haven’t defeated Russia, and yet we suffer from high inflation,’ he emphasised.
According to the prime minister, the European Union is already at its limit in terms of supporting Ukraine, and ‘that’s what the Commission’s proposal is about.’ He believes that European citizens have good reason to rebel, as the EU has long run out of money to spend, and the loans taken out are also being misused.
The discussion also touched upon the fact that Politico described yesterday’s situation at the EU Council as a ‘migration rebellion’. ‘It was a fight for freedom, not a rebellion,’ Viktor Orbán pointed out, recalling that there was a previous EU agreement regarding migration that stipulated only unanimous decisions. However, those in favour of unrestricted migration shifted the migration quota decision to the Council of Ministers for Internal Affairs. ‘The whole process is outrageous,’ he asserted. Orbán reiterated that these decisions are unacceptable for Hungary. He reported that the EU wants to compel Hungary to build ‘migrant ghettos’ with tens of thousands of people. Some confuse the admission of guest workers with migration, but he has witnessed ‘hordes passing through Hungary’, he recalled, who will not become a diligent workforce for the German industry. ‘Refugee camps should not be built in Europe. Migrants should be kept outside of Europe.’
At the end of the radio interview, the prime minister mentioned inflation in Hungary. He explained that the misguided sanctions imposed due to the war increased energy prices, which greatly influenced domestic prices as well. Significant progress has been made in the development of solar energy. ‘The goal is for Hungary not to be vulnerable in terms of energy prices,’ the PM stated.
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