The European Commission is tightening the screws on Hungary for failing to align its asylum laws with EU standards, as daily penalties pile up relentlessly.
European Commission issues further payment notice
As HVGwrites, the European Commission has issued another payment notice to the Hungarian government, escalating its efforts to enforce compliance with a European Court of Justice ruling. The case dates back to December 2020, when the court found Hungary’s asylum legislation in violation of EU law and mandated its amendment. Hungary’s failure to comply has led to severe financial penalties: a EUR 200 million lump sum fine and a daily penalty of EUR 1 million, adding up to EUR 93 million monthly. These amounts are enforceable and may be deducted from EU payments to Hungary, though procedural challenges have arisen.
Photo: facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
A growing debt
The latest notice sent out now corresponds to a two-monthly debt of one million euros, which means that the debt is billed until 14 November highlighting the mounting debt. In addition, the debt now grows by EUR 400 million daily. However, according to the European Commission, there is currently no Hungarian payment request that could cover this amount or even part of it. This impasse complicates efforts to deduct the penalties from other EU funds, intensifying pressure on the Hungarian government to address its legal obligations.
Opposition Jobbik has called for the reform Hungary’s health-care financing system with the aim of speeding up access to better quality services.
Jobbik calls for reforms
László György Lukács, the party’s deputy group leader, told a press conference on Monday that under the current system waiting times for treatments were too long, forcing many patients to pay out of their own pocket for private treatments that they were otherwise entitled to in the state-run system.
Jobbik proposes introducing a personal social insurance account so that people can decide for themselves whether to use a private health-care provider in cases where treatments are unavailable or would take longer than average to access using a state provider, he said.
The social insurance sum in question would cover the cost of an equivalent treatment provided as part of the state health-care system, he said.
Jobbik is launching a debate among professionals and politicians on “making the social insurance contribution transferrable”.
Finance Minister Mihály Varga will report on the results of Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union at a meeting of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament on Monday.
Finance Minister to report on Hungary’s EU presidency
In a video message posted on social media on the way to the meeting, Varga said the Hungarian presidency had made “significant breakthroughs” in the area of competitiveness, clearing the way for a new competitiveness deal for the EU. The presidency also reached a consensus on VAT rules, made it easier for businesses to operate in the EU and approved the 2025 EU budget ensuring the resources necessary to improve competitiveness, he added.
Varga said he anticipated some “antagonism” against Hungary to be voiced at the committee hearing. “But I’ll stand up to that,” he added.
Next year’s “new economic policy” budget is based on a policy of economic neutrality, Finance Minister Mihály Varga said in an interview with public radio broadcast on Sunday.
Varga talks about the 2025 budget
Varga said the three “pillars” of the 2025 budget were boosting Hungarians’ purchasing power, ensuring affordable housing and scaling up SMEs with the Demján Sándor Programme.
He added that the budget would lay the foundation for a growth-based, multi-year wage agreement that would raise the monthly minimum wage to HUF 400,000 and the average wage to HUF 1 million.
The budget assumes 3.4pc GDP growth.
Varga said that the threshold for tax preferences for employers’ housing support for employees would be raised by HUF 150,000/month, while the government aimed to ensure “feasible” home lending rates for young people.
Tax allowances for families with children are set to double, while allowances for first-time marriages and PIT exemptions for all under-25s and women under 30 having children would leave around HUF 440bn with families in 2025, he added.
He said the general government deficit, relative to GDP, would narrow from 4.5pc in 2024 to 3.7pc in 2025 and to 2.9pc in 2026.
Varga said that HUF 770bn would be earmarked to finish up investments that had already been started, such as developments at the Diósgyőr castle and railway upgrades in Záhony (NE Hungary) and around Szeged (SE Hungary).
New investments with a value of HUF 480bn will be launched, including the construction of a new campus for Budapest’s Óbuda University, the establishment of a national memorial in Mohács (S Hungary) and a sewage treatment plant in Karcag (E Hungary), he added.
Varga noted that a separate fund to preserve regulated utilities prices for households would be eliminated from the budget, but the regulated prices would remain in place, funded from allocations in various ministerial chapters, he said.
European Union agriculture ministers will discuss the situation on the internal market and 2025 fishing quotas at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on Monday, Agriculture Minister István Nagy said.
Hungarian Agriculture Minister talks about “emergency brake”
Nagy, representing the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU, said the ministers would exchange views on the 2025 fishing quotas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas.
He added that Ukrainian Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Koval would participate at a discussion of the situation on the EU’s internal market in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Nagy noted that an “emergency brake” for the import of some products from Ukraine, mindful of EU sensitivities, had entered force, and the ministers needed to debate the principles and ways of dealing with imports of farm products from the country. He added that the import of Ukrainian honey was an important issue for Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.
The foreign minister Szijjártó said on Monday that “the pro-war mainstream in Washington and Brussels have launched a final, bitter attempt against the new reality.”
Szijjártó: “we must stop efforts towards escalation in Brussels”
“A pro-peace candidate’s victory in America and patriotic forces forging ahead in Europe have created a new reality based on the will of voters,” Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook.
“They have decided to support pro-peace, patriotic forces, but the pro-war politicians voted out of power will not accept the people’s will either in Washington or in Brussels,” the minister said. He added that it was “not only anti-democratic but extremely dangerous, too.”
“The pro-war forces in their despair seem not to be deterred from the worst: escalating the war in Ukraine into a global conflict,” he said.
Referring to an upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, the first since the US presidential election, Szijjártó said “it will be a tough fight; we must stop efforts towards escalation in Brussels, too.”
Manfred Weber is ensuring political protection for Péter Magyar in the European Parliament, Fidesz MEP Tamás Deutsch said in a video message posted on Facebook on Sunday.
Deutsch said the events of recent weeks showed that the “political deal” between Weberand Magyarwas “working splendidly”.
He added that the leader of the Tisza Party and the EP group leader of the “Tisza Brussels party” had agreed, behind closed doors, that Weber would guarantee Magyar’s political protection in the EP and the European People’s Party (EPP) would not suspend Magyar’s immunity.
In this way, Deutsch said the Tisza Party leader would escape “responsibility for the crimes he has committed” in exchange for being the “most humble servant” of the EPP.
Weber and Magyar. Source: FB/Manfred WEber
He added that the matter of Magyar’s immunity had been delayed for weeks in the EP.
Deutsch said the Tisza Party leader had actively and full-heartedly indicated that he was “ready to give up a little bit of our sovereignty”. He added that Magyar and the Tisza Party MEPs had all backed the accelerated rollout of the “catastrophic” migration pact and given their full support to stepping up “gender propaganda and strengthening LGBTQ sensitisation”.
He said they had also supported the continuation of a rule of law procedure that “served as political blackmail of Hungary”, attacked regulated utilities prices and voted for the introduction of new energy sanctions that would be “a shot in the heart” for Hungary’s energy security.
Photo: FB/Tamás Deutsch
Deutsch called the Tisza Party leader the “Hungarian voice of Brussels”.
“Anybody who can make secret recordings of his wife and girlfriend is capable of anything and would do anything for Manfred Weber, it it’s his wish,” he said.
“Let’s protect Hungary from Manfred Weber and Peter Brussels,” he added.
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PM Orbán’s biggest opponent PM Orbán’s biggest opponent revealedwhy food prices are high in Hungary
Slovak PM Fico may sacrificehis good relations with PM Orbán to keep his governing coalition
Featured image: Manfred Weber and Péter Magyar discussing.
Taxes on food are the highest in Hungary, and the price of food is the highest while the minimum wage is the lowest, the leader of the opposition Tisza Party said during a visit to Poland. He also talked about how food prices could be reduced.
This is why food prices are so high in Hungary
During a visit to Katowice on Saturday, Péter Magyar saw first hand that while the Polish minimum wage was 50 percent higher than the Hungarian one, food prices were 20 percent lower, on average, than in Hungary, the Tisza Party said in a statement.
Magyar said that while minimum wages in all neighbouring countries were higher than in Hungary, the price of basic foods was lower, according to the statement. As a result of the Orbán government’s “failed economic policy decisions”, Hungary has set a European record in food price inflation, reaching 62 percent in three years, he added.
Magyar said that Orbánhad introduced several taxes since 2010 that significantly increased food prices.
Hungary is currently a European champion in terms of taxes on food, with the 27 percent VAT rate boosted by a public health product fee and a 4.5 percent extra profit tax, he said. Additionally, since last year, manufacturers are affected by an extended producer responsibility (EPR) fee that is among the highest in Europe, he added.
Food inflation, high prices flatten consumtion
At the same time, profits are low, developments have been neglected, and there are problems with efficiency and competitiveness in the food industry, he said.
“Huge” taxes and food inflation have significantly set back consumption, and consequently profits in the food industry, Magyar said. This makes development and the progress of Hungary’s food industry impossible, he added.
From 2026, the Tisza Party would reduce the VAT on fruits and vegetables, and gradually on all healthy food products, to 5 percent, he said. It would also significantly reduce other taxes on food, to boost consumption and the competitiveness of Hungary’s food industry, he added.
Source: Youtube / Magyar Péter Hivatalos
Magyar said consumer protection would also be strengthened in order to ensure that retailers pass on the price reductions expected from tax cuts to consumers.
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Previously, we reported on a leaked language-use bill drafted by Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture, under the leadership of the far-right nationalist SNS party. This proposed legislation has raised concerns among local Hungarians, as it could potentially limit their ability to use their mother tongue in everyday situations—such as at post offices or on public transport, including buses, trams, and trains. While Hungarian government officials have sought to reassure the public, Euronews speculates that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico may prioritise maintaining his governing coalition over his positive relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The end of Orbán and Fico’s friendship?
As Euronews reports, on Thursday, the two nations’ foreign ministers held a joint press conference, during which they stressed that the new Slovak bill is intended to strengthen the use of the Slovak language and is not designed to curtail the rights of minority languages.
Balázs Tárnok, a National University of Public Service researcher, warned that the bill could significantly reduce the rights of minorities to use their languages. Furthermore, the culture ministry drafting the bill is in the hands of the SNS party, which has consequently weak results in polls. Therefore, Tárnok suggests that the party may be attempting to attract attention and assert its influence through such controversial measures.
According to Euronews, Hungarians in Slovakia are hopeful that the SNS’s coalition partners will moderate the anti-minority elements of the bill.
PM Orbán and Fico have maintained a positive relationship, with rumours suggesting that Orbán even supported Fico’s anti-migration campaign by redirecting illegal migrants to the Slovak-Hungarian border. This move reportedly contributed to many ethnic Hungarians voting for Fico, despite his earlier anti-Hungarian policies in the 2010s. However, if Fico and his party decide to oppose the new SNS bill, they risk endangering their coalition’s stability.
Orbán and Fico embrace in Budapest. Will their friendship survive the proposed language law? Photo: FB/Orbán
Many believe that the Slovak political elite is using this issue to divert attention from the country’s economic challenges.
Hungary-Slovakia cooperation: Strategic and friendly, says speaker Kövér
Hungarian-Slovak relations remain strategic and friendly, László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, stated following a meeting with Peter Žiga, head of Slovakia’s National Council, on Friday evening. According to the Hungarian News Agency, the two leaders discussed shared challenges and the strong ties between their nations.
As well as history and geography, Kövér said the challenges of the current era had put the two countries on a parallel path.
He noted that Slovakia was regularly Hungary’s second- or third-biggest trade partner, adding that cross-border economic transactions had intensified and been more focused on shared interests and goals.
Photo: MTI
Photo: MTI
He said the sides had discussed international developments as well as bilateral relations. The sides agreed that the shift in power after the European Parliament elections and change in leadership at the White House would improve Hungary and Slovakia’s ability to enforce their interests, he said. Both countries want to see an end to the war in Ukraine and those political changes on the international stage are likely to “bring us closer to the peace we hope for”, he added.
After Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Visegrád Group in January, Kövér said cooperation between V4 parliaments would be stepped up. “We can naturally rely on the cooperation of our Slovak partners in this,” he added.
Ziga said the two countries’ strong ties were the result of common interests.
He added that several bilateral issues had been discussed at the meeting, including the cooperation of the national assemblies. He said he had informed Kövér in October about the establishment of a Slovak-Hungarian friendship group in the Slovak parliament.
He acknowledged Hungary’s involvement in policing Slovak airspace.
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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stressed the importance of patriotism and a strong Europe in an address at the inaugural assembly of the Patriots for Europe party alliance in Paris on Saturday.
Patriots in majority
Orbán thanked Marine Le Pen, the parliamentary group leader of the National Rally in the French Assembly, for organising the assembly, and congratulated the newly elected chairman of the Patriots for Europe, the leader of Spain’s VOX party, Santiago Abascal.
Turning to the results of the United States elections, Orbán said that Donald Trump, “the patriot himself”, would return to the White House. “We can say now proudly that now we patriots are the majority in the Western world,” he added.
Reflecting on the lessons to be learnt from the US elections, Orbán said the first was that “the left will do whatever it can to kill us, politically, morally and legally”. “They cannot accept the idea of us coming back to power. It’s only a democracy if they win, and everything is justified to stop us,” he added.
Photo: MTI
Orbán said the left was “weaponising” the law and the courts, pointing to legal action against Trump, Matteo Salvini of Italy’s Lega, Le Pen, and Herbert Kickl of the Freedom Party of Austria. Those efforts require a “common answer”, he added.
The second lesson, Orbán said, was that the American elections showed that “we can still win under these extremely difficult circumstances and not just win by a small margin, but we can achieve historic and monumental victory”.
“We can win because the left is completely incapable of governing,” he said, making the third point. “They are the obstacle standing in the way of a brighter future for the people,” he added.
The left is unable to govern well
“Countries could be governed better, but the left simply lacks the competence to do so. They had the power, but they left Europe and America powerless. They mismanaged inflation, energy security, war, education, civilisational challenges and, of course, migration. They are the barriers to making America, Hungary and Europe great again,” Orbán said.
Photo: MTI
Though they may be portrayed as experts, he said, the left are “only experts of the old world”. “We the patriots are the experts of the new world. New times call for a new era and new measures. And the fist important lesson from President Trump’s campaign victory is this: We must take bold positions and be able to speak about them loudly and clearly,” he added.
“There is no need to shift to the centre, because the centre has already shifted toward us,” he said.
Orbánnoted that migration had been one of the central issues of the Trump campaign. “President Trump did not say let’s deport 30 percent of illegals. No. That’s what the left said. He said 100 percent,” he said. “And look what the people choose. This is the kind of brave leadership we need. Clear decisive and confident,” he added.
No gender, no migration, no war
“We must firmly say no,” Orbán said, “no gender, no war, no migration”.
He said the role of the West in the world had changed “inevitably and undeniably”, while Europe’s relationship with America was also changing.
“In Europe, there is also a new political reality. Basically, we are the new reality. The Patriots,” he added.
“It’s not just an empty establishment spirit anymore, it has a concrete body, a strong voice pushing for change in Europe every single day,” he said.
“In the European elections the people of Europe sent a clear message, they want change in Brussels. And we should think about this change. We are now the third largest force in the European Parliament. And there is every chance that we could become the strongest by the end of this term. We have already won in France, the Czech Republic and Austria, and we will keep winning,” he added.
Orbán acknowledged that the right had its own challenges, forming international alliances and harmonising policies, but said: “We are patriots, we love our countries, and every country is unique. Even we face similar problems, different countries need different solutions”.
“The left is in a better position, they don’t care about their countries. They only care about following their own ideologies. But even us on the right have to find some issues, where we can make a real impact, and come up with concrete objectives. And migration is, of course, one of the most important ones. This is what unites us,” he said.
Hungary runs a rebellion concerning migration
“The Patriots’ objective is clear: we do not allow people in, and those who are already here, must be removed. It is as simple as that. We must protect our borders and our countries. Weak borders create a weak Europe while strong borders create a strong Europe. If Brussels does not like this you must either change the rules or opt out of them just as our Dutch friends did,” he added.
“We Hungarians selected a way of running a rebellion. We in Hungary don’t let any migrants in, whatever Brussels says. Nationwide organised rebellion based on law and referendum. That was the way how we protected our nation against migration,” Orbán said.
“So in conclusion, I am optimistic. People across the Western world are tired of being ruled by the left. The age of the left has been like a long bad movie, poor plot, no resolution, and people ready to walk out half way through. Now it’s time for a new story. The era of patriots and sovereignty is on the horizon. And as it comes we, the Patriots, must be ready. We have a vision, clear objectives, and a concrete plan to achieve them,” he added.
“As the Hungarian Presidency motto goes: Let’s make Europe great again!” Orbán said in closing.
Press conference held before summit
Orbán attended the inaugural assembly of the Patriots for Europe party alliance, which unites the sovereigntist forces of Europe, in Paris on Saturday, his press chief said. The assembly will approve the statutes of the party family and elect officials, Bertalan Havasi said. The Patriots group in the European Parliament was formed with the participation of Fidesz and has become the third-strongest group in the EP, he added. Fidesz MEP Kinga Gal said on Facebook that she had been elected deputy chair of the party alliance in Paris. “Thank you for the trust you placed in me. We are building a strong Europe proud of its traditions and built on sovereign nations,” she said.
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The Tisza Party has voted against Hungary’s utility price caps in Brussels, the European parliamentary delegation of the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrats (KDNP) said late on Thursday, referring to an EP declaration on the UN’s climate conference, COP29, held in Baku earlier this month.
The declaration called for phasing out household energy subsidies such as Hungary’s utility price caps, the statement said.
“Such a proposal would gravely harm Hungarian families, so MEPs of the Fidesz-KDNP delegation have rejected it,” they said.
Farmers, companies or families can’t shoulder the costs of the green transition alone, the statement said.
The declaration adopted on Thursday calls on member states to stop using oil, coal and gas as soon as possible, and says that energy subsidies such as the Hungarian utility price caps are “too high”, demanding that they are scrapped, the MEP group said.
“That [Tisza leader] Péter Magyar and the party should put their names on a proposal like that it outrageous,” the statement said.
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Transylvanian Hungarians have the means to have strong representation in Romania and to ensure that the decisions made about them are not made without them, the foreign minister said in Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) at a campaign event of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) on Friday.
Péter Szijjártó attended a podium discussion in the company of RMDSZ leader and presidential candidate Hunor Kelemen.
He said Hungarian-Romanian relations had improved and Romania benefited from RMDSZ having been in government, as also stated by several of his Romanian negotiating partners.
“I felt a great change in Romanian political attitude towards Hungary when it became clear here in Romanian society that RMDSZ had stabilised the functioning of Romanian government and politics,” Szijjártó said. “It offered excellent professional performance in areas where it provided a minister, a boss, leaders, with Romania clearly performing well in those areas, and the Romanian people profiting from it. And we give credit to Romanian politicians for not only recognising this, but also starting to talk about it.”
Photo: FB/Hunor Kelemen
Commenting on the mechanism of developing policies for ethnic Hungarians abroad, he said that the government in Budapest did not want to say what’s good for ethnic Hungarians abroad. After representatives of ethnic Hungarian communities say what type of help they want from the mother country, it is the Hungarian government’s “plain duty” to fulfil the requests and expectations the best they can, he added. As a result, even under the circumstances of war, sanctions and inflation, the government did not allow support for ethnic Hungarians abroad to fall victim to the protective anti-inflation measures, he said.
Economic development programmes have also been initiated by ethnic Hungarian representatives abroad, he said. The government has so far supported 6,084 SMEs with 85 billion forints (EUR 208.6m), enabling investments totalling 170 billion forints in areas with ethnic Hungarian communities, he added.
“I believe that part of the Romanian political elite understands that this is a win-win situation, jobs being created and taxes getting paid here, supply possibilities expanding, and I believe it is a good way to strengthen the nation, parts of the nation, and strengthen cooperation between the country of residence and the mother country,” Szijjártó said.
Kelemen reaffirmed that it depended on the ethnic Hungarian community if RMDSZ was “in the playing field” and he asked them to vote for the ethnic Hungarian candidates on November 24 and December 1.
Strong RMDSZ in ‘whole nation’s interest’, says Szijjártó
The better result the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party achieves at Romania’s general election, the better Hungarian-Romanian cooperation and the life of ethnic Hungarians will be, Szijjártó said in Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) on Friday, adding that “the best possible result for RMDSZ is in the interest of the nation as a whole.”
At a press conference held jointly with Hunor Kelemen, RMDSZ’s candidate for Romanian president, Szijjártó said ensuring the best possible cooperation between Hungary and Romania and improving the living standards of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian community were two of Hungarian foreign policy’s important goals.
He said there was “a good chance” that RMDSZwould perform as well in Romania’s next legislative and presidential elections as it had in the European Parliament and local elections earlier this year.
Szijjártó said Romania’s full Schengen membership, increasing the number of crossing facilities along the Hungary-Romania border, and promotion of the Hungarian government’s economic programme would be among the top priorities in the coming period.
He added that during the remainder of Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, the government “will leave no stone unturned” to ensure Romania’s accession to Schengen.
Hungary, he added, wanted to begin work on five new border crossing points between the two countries as soon as possible.
“We’re also making preparations together for two new motorway links,” the minister said. “We’re preparing the construction of a new bridge at Magyarcsanad and a road border crossing at Kubekhaza. And I have signed an agreement with your transport minister on preparations for a Szeged-Timisoara rail line.”
Concerning the continuation of the economic development scheme, Szijjártó said the government has so far supported 6,000 businesses, generating 170 billion forints (EUR 417.2m) worth of investments.
“We are ready to build an even closer cooperation with Romania,” Szijjártó said, adding that he hoped RMDSZ would be part of the next Romanian government.
Kelemen said RMDSZ could only promote the security and survival of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian community if it had parliamentary and, if possible, governmental means to do so, for which it needed the support of Transylvanian Hungarians.
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The European Commission put Hungary’s GDP growth at 1.8pc for 2025 in an autumn forecast released on Friday.
“Consumption is set to be the main growth driver with exports and investment expanding more gradually due to moderate growth at trade partners,” the ECsaid.
“Risks to the outlook include a prolonged weakness of demand in the automotive sector and a deterioration in terms of trade, which could weigh on growth and the current account balance over the forecast horizon,” it added.
The forecast is under the assumption for 3.4pc GDP growth in the government’s 2025 budget bill.
The EC puts average annual inflation at 3.6pc in 2025. It sees the general government deficit reaching 4.6pc of GDP.
Competitiveness ‘key issue’ for 2025 EU budget, says minister
Competitiveness is a “key issue” for the 2025 European Union budget, Péter Benő Banai, a state secretary at the Finance Ministry, said ahead of a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels on Friday. Hungary, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, takes the position that additional funding in the EU budget should be ensured for financing investments that contribute to an improvement in competitiveness, Banai said.
He added that the ministers at the ECOFIN meeting were tasked with allocating funding necessary for programmes earlier cleared by the EU heads of state and government and the European Parliament, without placing too great a burden on member states. He noted that interest expenditures on the EU’s debt were “well over” the European Commission’s preliminary calculations for 2025. That missing EUR 2.3bn-2.4bn is among the biggest challenges the ministers need to resolve, he added.
Bóka calls for ‘tangible’ achievements in wake of EU competitiveness declaration
In the next six months the European Union will need to present “tangible results” in wake of the competitiveness declaration leaders of the bloc adopted at their informal meeting in Budapest last week, the EU affairs minister told public broadcaster M1 on Thursday. “If we manage to do that … we will be able to say that real changes have started,” Janos Boka said. He added, however, that it would take “a lot of activities and conflicts … but Hungary has never shied away from such confrontations”.
The adoption of the Budapest declaration has been “a great step” towards the institutionalisation of European cooperation, Boka said, adding that the document defined the most important tasks in restoring the bloc’s competitiveness. He insisted that the “historic” meeting had been facilitated by “Hungary’s clear air and the result of the United States presidential election, which resulted in such a constructive dialogue as would have been inconceivable just a few months earlier”. “But the real work will start now, with economy ministers meeting in Brussels in late November, and adopting a conclusion detailing the Budapest declaration,” Boka said.
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Safety in Hungary, including in Budapest, is exceptional in the whole of Europe, as demonstrated by recent events, such as a soccer match in the Netherlands last week, the foreign minister said on Friday.
The ministry cited Péter Szijjártótelling a podium discussion that foreign visitors in Budapest greatly appreciated the safety of Budapest.
“European events of the recent period, such as a soccer match in the Netherlands or the soccer match they did not dare hold in Belgium all demonstrate that from this aspect Budapest, and the whole of Hungary, is truly exceptional in Europe,” he said.
He added that the only area where had had experienced negative changes in the recent period was public hygiene. Additionally, he said that in other cities cycle lanes had been allocated without narrowing down the space for car traffic.
Among the Budapest highlights he mentioned were the Puskás Aréna, the children’s railway, and the Elisabeth lookout tower.
The construction of Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD’s plant in Szeged will put the Hungarian city among the biggest 30 industrial centres in Europe, Construction and Transportation Minister János Lázár said on Friday.
After talks with Szeged Mayor László Botka, Lázársaid construction of the BYD plant, to be the biggest car plant in Hungary, was progressing at a faster than expected pace. The first vehicles should roll off the line in the second half of 2025, he added.
By the time production starts, road, railway and utilities infrastructure upgrades will be completed, he said.
With the cooperation of Serbia and China, the nearby border crossing at Roszke will be expanded to become the biggest road freight and rail cargo crossing in the Schengen zone, he added.
Photo: FB/János Lázár
A four-lane road will be built connecting the plant to the M43 motorway, while two other access roads will be expanded. A railway terminal will be built nearby, while the rail line between Szeged and Kiskunfélegyháza, to the north, will be rebuilt at a cost of HUF 175bn.
Lázár said railway developments were expected to be financed with a EUR 2.2bn loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). He added that the Roszke border crossing would be expanded with Chinese cooperation and credit.
Lázár said 10,000 people would work at the plant,
requiring upgrades of Szeged’s public transport. He added that HUF 2bn would be allocated immediately to extend the lifespan of Szeged’s bridge over the Tisza.
Photo: FB/János Lázár
Lázár said the number of cars produced in Hungary annually would rise to 1 million within three years.
Mayor Botka said the municipal council had been working in close cooperation with the central government to prepare for the construction of the BYD plant for a year. He added that there was “full consensus” on the investment among civic leaders and residents.
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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary’s economic troubles were, “without exception”, the result of the war in Ukraine and its consequences in a weekly interview with public radio on Friday.
USA pro-peace
Orbán said the government had submitted a “peacetime” budget bill to lawmakers and augured a “fantastic”, “unprecedented” 2025.
As well as acknowledging the need for peace from the humane and Christian perspective, Orbánpointed to the impact of the war on Hungary’s economy and Hungarians’ incomes and quality of life. “The right thing to do is to end the war as soon as possible,” he said.
According to the prime minister, the European Union’s sanctions, “an ill-advised response to the war”, have led to high energy prices and inflation, which resulted in “adopting a defensive position” in the economy rather than an attitude of “how could we feel better”. Unless it is reversed and “confidence returns to the economy” and “unless businessmen have faith in what they do there will be no economic growth … for the country to become successful again the war must be ended,” he said.
He noted that Hungarian diplomacy had advocated peace, but said a “major player” with the power to achieve that peace was necessary, explaining the importance of the result of the United States elections.
Putin and Orbán in July in Moscow. Photo: FB/Orbán
He said the 2025 budget would pave the way for developments in Hungary for which “the expression ‘fantastic’ is not unwarranted”. He said the draft outlined “the budget for a new economic policy to close an era and open up perspectives, hopes, opportunities,” adding that the budget would “focus on the smallest players, primarily families.” The family tax benefit would be doubled, he said. Referring to talks with employers and trade unions, the government is seeking to raise wages as “the sole remedy the government could offer against increasing prices … opportunities for the people to make more money,” he said, noting the government’s long-term goal of raising the average wage to a monthly one million forints.
Economic measures
Among the government’s major action plans Orbán mentioned housing and said several measures were aimed at ensuring affordable first homes and housing, introducing “promising novel ideas”.
On air. Photo: FB/Orbán
Employees under 35 would be eligible to a housing subsidy from their employer up to 150,000 forints a month to help with rent or mortgage payments, the prime minister said. He said the government had long considered abandoning the idea of developing the state-owned housing sector, which could “restore the culture of communist times”. Instead, the government could provide incentives to the private sector to offer housing subsidies to its young employees, he said. “It will make them attractive; companies offering such benefits will gain a competitive edge in the race for talented young employees,” he said.
The government’s Demjan Sandor programme will help small companies to “gain strength and rise to a higher level” through capital injections, Orbán said. The new workers’ loans, on the other hand, will offer “tangible help” to young employees, he added.
Difficult and exciting two months to come
Referring to the political climate after the US election Orbán said it was now “calm without winds; so far it has been windy and the ship was forging ahead, the campaign itself was a hurricane and drove the peace camp’s ship ahead at great speed. There was fight between the peace and war camps on a daily basis,” he added.
“A pro-peace presidential candidate has won and now we await peace,” he said, adding that “the question is what happens in America before Donald Trump assumes his office on January 20, whether American leaders acknowledge that the candidate of the peace camp has won.” He said further steps towards an escalation of the war should not be made but “the pro-peace president should be allowed to implement his programme as easily as possible”. He suggested it would be “risky” for the president-elect to take measures under US law, and said “since they constantly want to send Trump to prison he will think five times what he can and cannot do” before he takes his post. “We are ahead of a difficult and exciting two months,” Orbán added.
Orbán said a pro-peace turnaround must be fostered in the European Union, “to prevent the idea that we can continue this war without the US from emerging.” That concept “has proponents, they must be cornered and forced into meaningful dialogue about how they pictured doing that without ruining our own economy. Europe definitely has not enough money to finance this war without the Americans,” he said.
More than 300 state-subsidised investments launching next year
“Hungary must go on with its fight for peace, in Brussels this time, after an American victory triggering great expectations,” Orbán said. Without certain reforms to European Union policy, “the European Union may die within two or three years” as the French president has predicted, Orbán said. Orbán said the two main tasks were cutting energy prices, “which includes a review of sanctions,” and an “anti-bureaucracy reform”, achieved within the next six months.
Answering a question, Orbán said he saw a “30 percent chance for success, which is why it is very important not to wait for Brussels but to revolt where they want to strong-arm us into measures that are bad for Hungarian families.” Hungary’s draft budget was one such “open revolt”, Orbán said, as it contained the utility price caps and the government’s new housing and SME support schemes. Hungary will see more than 300 state-subsidised investments launching next year, he added.
“We are launching huge railway investments, the motorway constructions and revamps are under way, we are building a university and might finally get to the Heim Pál Children’s Hospital. Big, serious things are starting here, the diametrical opposits of what Brussels is doing,” Orbán said. Regarding the world economy, Orbán said the US and the EU had been neck-and-neck some 15 years ago, but since then, Europe’s economy has grown by 15 percent while the us’s jumped by 65 percent.
While richer member states “had awful years”, Hungary had remained more on the path of development, Orbán said. Without a utility price cap scheme of their own, soaring energy prices in other member states had devoured family incomes, he insisted. Europe can’t compete with the US “as long as they are paying a fourth of European electricity prices. We can’t win this way,” Orbán said. “Energy prices won’t fall with a sanctions policy like this.” Europe will also have to undergo “an anti-bureaucratic revolution”, Orbán said. “The second greatest problem in the EU is a hoard of idiotic, unviable rules suffocating the economy.”
Rude awakening for EU leaders
Orbán said the Draghi report on competitiveness presented at a European Union summit in Budapest a week ago had been a “rude awakening” for EU leaders and an incitement to take policy action.
Orbán said the report on the European economy, prepared by Mario Draghi, the well-respected former head of the European Central Bank, at Brussels’ request, showed that Europe was on a “suicide” path. EU leaders’ acknowledgement of the seriousness of the matter and the need to take steps produced the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal which was “effortlessly approved by all member states” at the summit, he added.
Regarding the National Consultation survey, Orbán said that besides “ammunition for the fights in Brussels,” the survey was also a way to involve the community in dialogue on “the great questions of the country’s future”.
Speaker of Parliament László Kövér met his Armenian counterpart, Alen Simonyan, in Budapest on Thursday.
At the meeting held in Parliament, Kövér said the two countries shared values such as their Christian traditions and commitment to international peace and regional stability, according to parliament’s press chief Zoltán Szilágyi. That was a good foundation for developing cooperation, Kövér said. “Another link is that Hungary and Armenia have had to fight for their culture, faith and survival for centuries,” he said.
Hungary has been increasing funding for the Armenian minority continuously since 2010, and the government sees them as an important link between the two countries, he said.
Photo: MTI
“Hungary recognises and welcomes Armenia’s openness towards strengthening ties with the European Union and its commitment to economic integration into the EU, and we are ready to further that cause during Hungary’s presidency and beyond,” Kövér said.
He also welcomed Azeri and Armenian efforts to smooth conflicts in the region, adding: “We will do everything we can to achieve durable and fair peace.” The stability of the southern Caucasus and cooperation between its peoples is of primary importance for the whole of Europe, he added.
Simonyan thanked Hungary for hosting summer camps for 143 Armenian refugee children this year, as well as for helping Armenian flood victims. Kövér accepted his invitation to visit Armenia, the statement said.
Serbia is the most important country from the point of view of Hungary’s security, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after a meeting of the Hungarian-Serbian strategic cooperation council, listing further joint investment projects in crude oil and gas transit, transmission lines, gas trading and storage and a border crossing upgrade.
Orbántold a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that thanks to developments in recent years more and more of Hungary’s energy supplies have come through Serbia.
“The Russia-Ukraine war closed off the other direction, so Serbia has become a country that provides first-rate security and a guarantee. There is no other country more important to Hungary … and [its] security than Serbia,” Orbán said.
He noted that existing investment projects were reviewed at the meeting and new ones have been decided on in crude oil shipping, gas transport, transmission line construction, natural gas trading and storage. He said a joint electricity exchange will be operating from the end of this year.
He confirmed that the Budapest-Belgrade railway project will be completed by 2026, and it was agreed that the Röszke-Horgos border crossing will be made into Europe’s “most modern, fastest and most civilised” border crossing, thanks to a large joint investment project.
PM Orbán talks Serbia as pro-peace country
Hungary, like Serbia, “is on the side of peace”, and that commitment has strengthened Serbian-Hungarian friendship, Orbán said, adding that Hungary had taken on the burden of conflicts in order to avoid “being dragged into the Russia-Ukraine war”. “We stayed away from that: it is not our war; we are on the side of peace and will remain there,” he said.
During its presidency of the European Council, Hungary had been able to “provide material help” to Serbia by speeding up its EU integration, Orbán said. “Europe must grasp that it is not Serbia that needs Europe, it’s the EU that needs Serbia.”
The EU is mired in problems, and growth, new momentum, dynamism and energy “can only come from new members”, he said. “Serbia is the best candidate for this, and Hungary will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that it becomes an EU member as soon as possible.”
“The US elections and the appearance of a party group of patriots and sovereigntists in Europe has brought about a new reality,” Orbán said. “The future belongs to sovereign, independent nations striving for success, and everyone in Europe must adapt their fate and politics to that,” he said.
Photo: FB/Orbán
Hungarians and Serbians have responded to that “new reality” by deepening cooperation, Orbán added.
Further, “the two countries will have to cooperate in security more closely as the issue is gaining importance in the new reality,” he said. “With Europe suffering from high electricity prices, we need better cooperation on electricity, and if blocs threaten to form in Europe, or Europe responds to the new situation with protectionism, we must strengthen connectivity and we must connect with each other all the more,” Orbán said.
Vucic was engine
He thanked Vucic for being the “engine” of high-level Hungarian-Serbian relations in the past decade. Serbia and Hungary “are two ambitious nations that refuse to resign to the fate the 20th century dealt them, and want to be successful, large and rich.”
Serbia’s success also raises Hungary’s value, he said, and “we have an interest in Serbians being as successful, satisfied, balanced and prosperous as Hungarians in the coming seven years.”
The Hungarian-Serbian strategic cooperation council on Thursday met for the second time, and representatives of the two countries signed seven agreements after the meeting, on legal aid in civil litigation, cultural cooperation, on a letter of intent on cooperation between their ministries of innovation, on renewing Hungary’s plan to provide expertise on EU integration, and on cooperation between the foreign ministries.
Orbán and Vucic also signed a common declaration regarding the meeting.
Increasingly tight cooperation with Serbia in Hungary’s strategic interest, says foreign minister
Tightening cooperation with Serbia is in Hungary’s basic strategic interest because both sides contribute to the improvement of each other’s physical, energy and economic security, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Thursday.
“The closer cooperation gets, the faster our economy develops and the more secure we and energy supplies are,” Péter Szijjártó said after a meeting of the Hungarian-Serbian high-level strategic council.
He said energy ties would strengthen when a new crude oil pipeline between the refinery in Szazhalombatta and the Serbian network comes on line. “This will enable Hungary to be not only a buyer of crude but also a transit country, while opening up further sources of crude for Serbia,” he said.
“On the Hungarian side, the feasibility and environmental impact studies connected to the investment will be prepared by professionals and the selected companies by December, and from then on the implementation of the large investment project will take three years,” he said.
Szijjártó also said that great progress would be made in connecting electricity networks thanks to a new transmission line that would double total transmission capacity by 2028.
160 km/h high-speed railway connection
He welcomed the start of operations of a Hungary-Serbia-Slovenia electricity exchange at the end of this year, making supplies more secure in the region while increasing price competition.
Commenting on the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, Szijjártó confirmed that by 2026 it would be possible to travel between the two capitals at a speed of 160km per hour.
“For freight transport, the line will also be the fastest route from Greek ports to western European consumers, for instance in the case of Chinese imports to Europe,” he said.
The minister also said that another important investment project planned under the arrangements of Chinese-Serbian-Hungarian cooperation was building the largest, most modern and civilised border crossing at Roszke, where long queues are still frequent today.
Szijjártó said bilateral trade was continually expanding, its value having grown 4.5-fold in the past ten years, to 5 billion euros. “So it is especially important to end the long wait at the border which sometimes takes days,” he added.
“Related financial and technology talks will be started in China in two weeks. Trilateral Hungarian-Chinese-Serbian cooperation has been successful in terms of the railway investment. It is now time that we apply that to road crossings,” he added.
