Orbán and Macron talk about the future of Europe

Photo: MTI

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris late on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and the most important aspects of the future of Europe, the PM’s press chief said on Tuesday.

Orbán said Hungary wants an immediate ceasefire and peace talks in Ukraine, Bertalan Havasi said. Hungary has been pro-peace since the start of the war and will stay so, Orbán said.

Socialists call for ‘strong, united Europe’

Gábor Harangozó, deputy head of the opposition Socialist Party, advocated a “strong, sovereign, and united Europe” at a press conference published on Facebook on Tuesday, following a recent meeting of European Socialist leaders in Warsaw.

The Socialist party is committed to reinforcing European integration, and “concerned to see that Hungary is falling in the trap of nationalist selfishness and narowmindedness”. He insisted that stronger and more complex cooperation in Europe could help remove economic and security dependencies.

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Concerning the Ukraine war, Harangozó said “Russia cannot win and the perpetrators must be brought to court”, adding that Europe needed a new security system.

Europe should become a “sovereign and attractive centre” based on “a fair distribution of welfare and strong social cohesion”. Everybody in Europe must be “capable of having a good life out of their work”, he added. Harangozó also called for a common eastern Europe policy for the EU as well as further accelerating the EU’s enlargement.