In an interview on Kossuth Radio this morning, Prime Minister Orbán emphasized the significance of a new national consultation to give people the opportunity to express what they want from the government. This way, the government can negotiate confidently in Brussels, he added.
PM Orbán said that Brussels needs to change its migration and economic policy because there are nonsense ideas on the table. He said that the new consultation questionnaire will have 10 or 11 questions for people to express their views, after which unity could be created domestically and the government could then negotiate with the needed political support.
The prime minister reported on recent government decisions, developments from the Brussels EU summit, and detailed discussions on raising the joint EU budget by more than 60 billion euros, with some sources suggesting up to 100 billion euros. The European Union intends to allocate the additional funds for assisting Ukraine and managing migration, he said.
PM Orbán voiced his concerns regarding these budget considerations, saying, "Three years have passed, and the EU has a budget that spans seven years. Now, those in Brussels are saying we should contribute more money."
He also reiterated Hungary's firm stance on not admitting migrants, emphasizing the subsequent absence of conflicts related to migration in the country. The prime minister was stern in his remarks, saying that migrants had brought "terror and crime into Europe,” but that “Hungarians might feel the significance of this less because we don't have such issues."
The prime minister additionally criticized the EU bureaucrats for suggesting salary hikes and establishing reserves, adding that overall the entire EU budget proposal is unsuitable for serious negotiations.
Discussing the EU's strategy on Ukraine, PM Orbán said that "every military expert states that Ukraine will not win at the front." He elaborated on the European strategy, which, in his view, is that "Ukrainians must win, Russians must lose, and the president must fail." The prime minister believes that change is needed in Brussels’ leadership to better address the war.
Touching upon the subject of migration, PM Orbán recalled Hungary's earlier stance. "When we said in 2015 that migration is bad, we were almost crucified," he said, adding that today most countries share this perspective. The PM believes that migrants should remain outside the country until their applications are reviewed. In his view, "this is the way it should be done throughout Europe."
Expressing skepticism about the practicality of deporting migrants, he said that "if some believe migrants can be deported, let them believe so, but so far, no one can say how this works in practice."
PM Orbán also highlighted Hungary’s positive ties with China since 1949, with special mention of the strong Hungarian-Chinese relationship in 1990. He emphasized the immense advantage Hungary has in its relationship with China, especially in the field of green energy. "In green energy, the Chinese are very good with solar panels. The biggest question is who will have the capability to store the produced green energy," Prime Minister Orbán said.
Lastly, addressing family support, the prime minister said that "if there are no children, there is no future." He told listeners about the government’s work on “CSOK Plus,” a program announced on Wednesday to help encourage couples to have children.