PM Orbán called for a strategic reset amid global upheavals and growing internal challenges, asserting that the European Union’s survival depends on restoring the role and authority of national parliaments.
“The world is being transformed on a scale comparable only to the birth of the modern nation-state,” the prime minister declared, noting that Western political norms are in flux and global power dynamics are shifting rapidly. Referencing the rise of China, the emergence of India, and changing priorities in the United States, he argued that Europe has failed to adapt. “We are trying to solve tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s answers,” he said.
PM Orbán painted a bleak picture of Europe’s current trajectory. He stated that the EU’s approach to the war in Ukraine and energy sanctions has backfired, weakening economic competitiveness and deepening divisions. “This war is lost,” the prime minister said bluntly, referring to the failure of sanctions and the collapse of Europe’s previous economic model based on cheap Russian energy and advanced German technology.
“We have given up the old strategy and replaced it with nothing.”
At the heart of his speech was a call for the reinvigoration of the nation-state. PM Orbán argued that Europe’s strength historically came from its sovereign nations, each backed by powerful parliaments. He asserted that the European Union owes its success to national institutions, not Brussels-based bureaucracies.
“The EU must give more respect to national parliaments,” he said. “They are not artificial constructs created by treaty, but the organic embodiment of democratic legitimacy.”
Prime Minister Orbán accused EU institutions of seeking to centralize power at the expense of member states, citing repeated efforts to override national sovereignty. He pointed to past attempts to unseat Hungary’s government and the withholding of funds as evidence of political coercion. “Brussels wants to impose puppet governments loyal to its own interests,” he warned. “But Hungary has resisted and will continue to resist.”
On the topic of Ukraine’s potential EU accession, the prime minister cautioned that further support for the ongoing conflict would only deepen the crisis. He argued that Brussels’ proposal to mandate an energy decoupling from Russia would devastate Hungary’s economy. “Brussels cannot want to destroy Hungarian families,” he said, emphasizing that peace and an end to sanctions are necessary to stabilize Europe.
In conclusion, PM Orbán urged European leaders to shift course. “Europe is rich but weak, and this is the most dangerous combination,” he warned. “Only strong nation-states and respected national parliaments can restore the continent’s strength and credibility.”
The prime minister’s message was clear: National sovereignty must be the cornerstone of any future European revival.