Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said: “We are building a strong countryside because without that there would be no strong Hungary."
Speaking at the inauguration of a section of Route 53 bypassing Soltvadkert, in southern Hungary, on Monday, the prime minister said Hungary’s government had decided as far back as 2010 that it would put an end to the internal migration seen in rural Hungary, and had set out to ensure that certain parts of the country do not have to prosper at the expense of others.
“We set out to make the Hungarian countryside an attractive place where it is worth living because there are jobs and high quality services and everything is accessible within a reasonable time frame,” the prime minister said.
PM Orbán said the towns of Soltvadkert and Bacs-kiskun County were “winners of the government’s measures”. He said the region would play an even more important role in the future, noting the government’s plan to set up a new economic zone in the country’s southern regions.
He said the region would play an even more important role in the future, noting the government’s plan to set up a new economic zone in the country’s southern regions.
The government has earmarked 330 billion forints (EUR 806.5m) in next year’s budget for making the southern Hungarian countryside stronger, resilient and independent, PM Orbán said. He noted ongoing investment projects in Kecskemet, adding that bypasses are also being built next to Szeged and Baja, with another one planned for Pecs.
PM Orbán said that when he last visited Soltvadkert during the European Parliament election campaign in the spring, “there appeared to be no chance for peace” in neighbouring Ukraine. Hungary, he said, had been under “tremendous pressure” from the United States for its pro-peace position, “and the pro-war Brussels bureaucrats were also giving us a thrashing”.
But over the past six months, the “pro-war, anti-migration and pro-family forces” have gained a majority in the Western world, he said. Hungary’s ruling parties secured a resounding victory in the EP elections, established the Patriots of Europe party, becoming essential players in the legislative body, and in the United States “our brother-in-arms” Donald Trump was elected president, PM Orbán said.
The prime minister said the Hungarian economy was set for a “fantastic year” in 2025, saying Hungary would emerge stronger “from the shadow of the war that has been going on for three years now”.