Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told Kossuth Radio on Friday that he does not want to give up on "any of the goals we have set for 2025", adding that though his government had been aware of the expected GDP growth rate, parliament had still passed "the biggest tax cut in Europe".
Asked why first-quarter GDP growth was under expectations, PM Orbán said in his regular weekly radio interview that the European economy as a whole was stagnant, and as a member of the European Union, Hungary was a part of that economy.
PM Orbán noted that Austria’s growth rate was even lower than Hungary’s, "but the Germans are also on par with us". He said countries with closer ties to the German economy were the ones that were generally encountering problems, adding that though the European economy was weaker "because of the war and the money being sent to Ukraine", it should not be said that "the economic data should be attributed to reasons beyond our control".
"Because if we start to give these explanations -- which, by the way, are true -- then we’ll lose our ability to act," PM Orbán said. "So what actually interests me is not the reason behind it, but rather how we’ll still be successful, how we’ll achieve the goals we’ve set for 2025."
The prime minister emphasised that he does not want to give up any of the goals his government has set for this year. This was why, he said, that though they had been aware of the expected GDP growth rate, parliament had still passed "the biggest tax cut in Europe".
"These poor European leaders have sent 140 billion euros to Ukraine so far," he said, adding that if this money were still in the European economy, the EU would be seeing growth rather than stagnation.
PM Orbán noted, however, that Hungary’s parliament has passed "Europe’s biggest tax cut scheme" which includes tax breaks for mothers.
PM Orbán noted that a lifetime personal income tax exemption for mothers with three children will be introduced in October, while mothers of two below the age of 40 will be exempt from paying income tax from January 1. A PIT exemption will also be introduced for mothers under the age of 50 from 2027, which will be followed by an exemption for those under 60, "and in 2-3 years’ time, we’ll reach a point where mothers with at least two children will have a lifetime exemption from paying personal income tax", he said.
PM Orbán also said that 1,400 billion forints (EUR 3.5bn) in resources were available to businesses in the framework of the Demjan Sandor Program for scaling up SMEs.
Meanwhile, he said it was crucial to prevent Ukraine’s accession to the EU, arguing that it would bankrupt the Hungarian economy. "Let’s forget the stories. They want to admit Ukraine to the EU now. Brussels together with the Tisza Party. This would bankrupt the Hungarian economy. This can and must be prevented," the prime minister said on Facebook after the interview.
Noting the government’s ongoing referendum on Ukraine’s EU accession, Orban said the time to vote on the matter "isn’t someday but here and now".
PM Orbán said the leader of the European People’s Party and the president of the European Commission had announced that they wanted to bring Ukraine into the bloc by 2030. The EPP, he added, had also called for fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession. "Forget all the stories that say they want to do this someday when [Ukraine] is ready, that’s not what this is about. It’s about them wanting to admit Ukraine as quickly as possible," he said.
PM Orbán said that if there were data that showed that this kind of enlargement would be worth it for Hungary, he would be in favour of Ukraine’s accession. "But today there are some countries for whom it is worth it because their large companies are there in Ukraine, and there are those for whom it would be costly."
"We’re on the wrong side because it would cost us, we’d go bankrupt, so I don’t support [Ukraine’s] membership," the prime minister said, noting that this issue had made the referendum in Hungary more important.
He said fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership was "a misguided and harmful policy" which could still be stopped, "but when in two to three years we’re on the verge of making the final decision, it’ll be very hard to do so."
"A machine that’s already got momentum is much harder to stop than preventing it from gaining momentum," PM Orbán said. "Now is the time to open the eyes of not just Hungarians but also the eyes of citizens of European countries who are in a similar situation to us." The prime minister said there were "a dozen more countries" that would "lose out" on Ukraine’s EU accession, adding that they should be encouraged to speak out and their leaders should be encouraged to back Hungary’s position "so that we can prevent this together".
Meanwhile, PM Orbán said the war in Ukraine had so far cost Hungary 20 billion euros, and if this money were still in the European economy, there would be a higher rate of development.
He said that until Europe "turns its back on the war and joins the side of peace, the entire European economy will be coughing". But, he added, European leaders wanted war and were trying to hinder the United States president’s successful peace efforts.
"This mistake must be recognised, and it will be, but until then we’ll lose a lot of money," he warned. "They must realise that they can’t finance and maintain the Ukrainian army and economy without the United States."
He said there was "no point" in Europe giving money to Ukraine without the US, warning that "it can only go on for a few months, but will end with bankruptcy".
He said some 10 billion euros of the frozen funds had already been given to Hungary and had been used to finance a significant part of the wage hikes for teachers. Another 1,000 billion forints will arrive this year, he added.
"We’re in a constant battle with Brussels to gain access to the money we’re entitled to," PM Orbán said, adding that the opposition Tisza Party had "admitted that they’re working to make sure we don’t succeed at this".
He said it was "evil" of Tisza MEP Kinga Kollar, who he said makes "a monthly salary of 7 to 10 million forints", to be "working in Brussels every day to prevent the national government from bringing home the funds we spend on upgrading hospitals, building roads, upgrading railways and improving the quality of public services".
"By doing this, she’s hurting Hungarians," PM Orbán said. "We also know why," he said, adding that Kollar had said that "she wants Hungary to be unsuccessful because that will allow the Tisza Party to come to power." "That’s the Brussels-Tisza pact. That’s a fact."
He said it was because of Tisza that he and his government had only gained access to half of the funds owed to Hungary, adding that "the Tisza politicians are working to make sure we can’t bring the rest of these funds home."
PM Orbán said it was time for Hungarians to "wake up and realise that there is a Brussels-based international force, a big pro-war network making efforts to ensure that Hungary has a government that does whatever Brussels asks it to".
He said the leader of the EPP had said in Brussels that "he wants the current government to be replaced by a puppet government led by Tisza".
"Let’s not let Brussels gain control of our homeland, let’s not become a colony of Brussels," he said, warning that this would have serious economic ramifications.
PM Orbán said that if a "puppet government controlled by Brussels" came to power in Hungary, its first act would be to scrap the household utility price caps, abolish taxes for multinationals and let gender activists into schools.
He said that in the heating season, a family living in a detached home pays 260,000 forints for heating, while in Slovakia the bill would be 660,000 forints and in Poland 860,000 forints. Brussels, he said, was pushing Hungary to scrap the household utility price caps, but "the national government is on the side of the people and refuses to do so because it would kill Hungarian families".
PM Orbán said that in next year’s general election, Hungarians would get to decide whether they wanted "a puppet government of Brussels or a national government".
Meanwhile, he said Ukraine’s EU accession was a fundamental issue for Hungarian politics that would reshape the future of the next generation for 10-20 years, which must not be allowed. He said Tisza, the opposition Democratic Coalition and other opposition parties, with the exception of Our Homeland favoured giving Ukraine financial and military support and fast-tracking its EU accession, while "the national side is against it".
PM Orbán said what mattered most was standing firm on the issue of Ukraine and "not giving up on our goals regardless of any kind of figures that are released".
The prime minister said these goals included job protection, tax cuts, the expansion of the government’s industry development policy, support for setting up 150 new factories, bolstering SMEs and the policy aimed at bringing prices down. He said that at next Wednesday’s meeting, the cabinet wants to decide on bringing down the prices of manufactured goods and the introduction of VAT rebates for pensioners in October.
"If we do all this, then 2025 will be okay," PM Orbán said. He noted that the government was discussing the 2026 budget and awaiting the Fiscal Council’s opinion on how this year’s lower growth rates will affect next year’s budget. He said he believed the 2026 "anti-war pro-peace budget" was still viable under such circumstances, and "we won’t have to give up on a single one of our goals in 2026, either".