Márk Móna: We’re here in Copenhagen, on the evening of the first day of the EU summit, where I’ve been able to conduct an exclusive report with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán.
Prime Minister, when you started your doorstep interview by standing in front of us, in front of the journalists, it was as if you were going into a cage fight. But I think you escaped with minor scratches.
I came out of it – I don’t know about the others, but it was tough. This has been a particularly high-stakes European summit, because energy was on the agenda, as was the continuing need for clarification of our strategy in the Russo–Ukrainian war, and the future fate of Russian frozen assets, which sparked a huge debate. One of these would be enough for one day, let alone three.
Many people are interested in the fact that Angela Merkel has been with you just now. What did you talk about? How did you receive the former chancellor? What were the main topics? Can you share this with the public?
Hungarians are a polite nation, and in our political culture once someone is Chancellor, Hungarians always see them as Chancellor. So no matter what arguments we’ve had, for Hungarians Angela Merkel will remain Chancellor of Germany for the rest of her life. It was the same with Helmut Kohl. Well, we talked about all sorts of things. We both remembered that both of us were right about everything, but we said this to each other in a polite way – especially on the issue of migration. But we talked about the competitiveness of the European economy, and she sees the same worrying signs that I do. And if there isn’t an urgent turnaround in competitiveness here, and if energy prices – which the Commission is currently keeping artificially high – aren’t dramatically reduced everywhere in Europe, then the European economy will drop to its knees. She doesn’t use the kind of radical language that we Hungarians use, but that was the gist of what she was saying – that there’s a problem here and urgent action is needed.
When it comes to competitiveness, I remember that when Hungary held the rotating presidency of the EU, the Budapest competitiveness pact was adopted. Now Denmark holds the rotating EU presidency. Was this discussed? Was this competitiveness pact raised, and how does it stand?
I was prepared for the Germans to perhaps bring it up. There’s a package called the simplification package, which would eliminate hundreds of regulations. Everyone sees that a European company spends roughly as much money on research as it spends on complying with idiotic regulations, with the Commission’s bureaucratic regulations. And there’s a rebellion against this. And we adopted a package containing the deletion of hundreds of provisions, which was put before the European Parliament. But the European Parliament isn’t discussing it – and several of my colleagues, several prime ministers, have described this as sabotage. So competitiveness is on the table.
I’m still only a domestic policy reporter, and sometimes dealing with foreign policy is alien to me, so for my last question I’ll fly back to Hungary. Recently a news item appeared on [opposition Member of Parliament] Ákos Hadházy’s page, stating that your ear is quite interesting, and that there’s some kind of device in it that guides you and gives you instructions. What do you think about this story posted by Ákos Hadházy, which has been circulating in the opposition media for a few days now?
Should I stay in style?
Yes!
There isn’t one.
And what do you say about this news story?
That he’s a fool, that Hadházy’s a fool, as everyone knows. I’ve said that the entertainment industry and politics have merged. So that’s why there are people in politics today who are effectively fools, but who attract attention, like figures in the entertainment industry. Hadházy is in this category: he doesn’t belong among politicians, but among the lunatic figures in the entertainment industry who call themselves politicians.
And one last domestic political topic: the national consultation has started. What do you expect from this consultation?
Every national consultation is important. We hold them on important issues, and one and a half to two million people always respond – which, when you think about it, is a fantastic democratic achievement. It’s always a great support for me – national consultations strengthen me here, in the battles in Brussels. It’s never easy, but it’s much easier when an entire country – or a large part of it – is behind you on a difficult European issue. For example, in the consultation now there will be, or are, questions about taxes and competitiveness. So the Government’s job is made easier by those who respond. On the other hand, consultations bring into the public square issues that don’t receive enough attention, even though they’re important. So I hope that this will also be successful.
Thank you for making yourself available to us.
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