Following a "Friends of Cohesion" group meeting in Beja, Portugal, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has highlighted how the positions on the European Union's next seven-year budget are still far apart.
“We’re at the start of the debate, and the positions are still far apart,” PM Orbán told MTI.
The prime minister said European economic policy had been “ruined” in Brussels in recent years, the results of which will soon become apparent. He predicted that growth in the eurozone would stall this year and cautioned that bad economic policy could have an impact outside of the eurozone, such as in central Europe, too.
PM Orbán said that, unlike Hungary, most member states didn’t cut taxes and didn’t support competition, but introduced protectionist measures that did economic damage. He added that Europe’s competitiveness has “declined on a global scale, and that comes with a price”.
The prime minister said member states must agree that regaining competitiveness is of primary importance, and that requires a budget that ensures member states the greatest possible degree of flexibility.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has highlighted how the positions on the European Union's next seven-year budget are still far apart after a meeting of the heads of government of the "Friends of Cohesion" group in Beja, Portugal.
“We’re at the start of the debate, and the positions are still far apart,” PM Orbán told MTI.
The prime minister said European economic policy had been “ruined” in Brussels in recent years, the results of which will soon become apparent. He predicted that growth in the eurozone would stall this year and cautioned that bad economic policy could have an impact outside of the eurozone, such as in central Europe, too.
PM Orbán said that, unlike Hungary, most member states didn’t cut taxes and didn’t support competition, but introduced protectionist measures that did economic damage. He added that Europe’s competitiveness has “declined on a global scale, and that comes with a price”.
The prime minister said member states must agree that regaining competitiveness is of primary importance, and that requires a budget that ensures member states the greatest possible degree of flexibility.
Photo credit: Politico