Orbán: Brussels out of money, wants to abolish Hungarian utility cuts
Viktor Orbán said in a radio interview on Friday in Brussels that the chance of leaders of EU member states accepting the European Commission’s budget amendment proposals was close to zero, and that Hungarians would not accept scrapping the country’s utility price protection scheme.
Attending the EU summit, Orbán said leaders had not turned up to the meeting “to give more money to pay European Union bureaucrats instead of their families and citizens facing a difficult situation at home”.
Without an agreement, he added, “a long battle will begin” and the Commission would come up with yet another proposal. “They’ll try to buy off member states one by one.”
“We Hungarians won’t accept scrapping utility cuts in Hungary, we won’t hand money over to hike the pay of bureaucrats here, and we won’t give more money to Ukraine until the 70 billion we gave last time is accounted for; and acceding to the request to give more money for an interest rate increase on a loan from which we never received the principle amount in the first place would be utterly ridiculous, absurd, and impossible,” the prime minister said.
Orbán demands answers on responsibility for EU’s ‘slide to brink of bankruptcy’
The European Council summit this week should find out who was responsible for the European Union having been “pushed to the brink of bankruptcy”, and clarify where “the money has gone from the EU budget”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday.
In an interview to public radio from Brussels, Orbán said that halfway through the 2021-2027 financial cycle, the European Commission “announced that the money was gone and is requesting hundreds of billions more in contributions from member states”.
Detailing the EC’s amendment proposal, Orbán noted the body was planning to donate another EUR 50 billion to Ukraine, “even though we still don’t know where the first 70 billion went to or why it wasn’t enough.”
Further, the EC is requesting another 18-19 billion to fund growing interest on the reconstruction fund, he said. “These are the loans from which Poland and Hungary have yet to receive a single cent.”
The EC is also working to earmark “a larger sum to facilitate the arrival of migrants to Europe,” Orbán said.
The body is also requesting “a few billion euros to raise their own salaries while asking Hungary to scrap its utility price protection scheme,” he added.
“So Hungarians at home should pay more and we should send more money here, so they can have a larger salary. The whole thing is so absurd that almost all member state leaders should be outraged by it,” he said.
The chance of leaders of EU member states accepting the European Commission’s budget amendment proposals is close to zero, Orbán said, adding that leaders had not turned up to the meeting “to give more money to pay European Union bureaucrats instead of their families and citizens facing a difficult situation at home”.
Without an agreement, he added, “a long battle will begin” and the Commission would come up with yet another proposal. “They’ll try to buy off member states one by one.”
“We Hungarians won’t accept scrapping utility cuts in Hungary, we won’t hand money over to hike the pay of bureaucrats here, and we won’t give more money to Ukraine until the 70 billion we gave last time is accounted for; and acceding to the request to give more money for an interest rate increase on a loan from which we never received the principle amount in the first place would be utterly ridiculous, absurd, and impossible,” the prime minister said.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Orbán said a ceasefire and peace talks were needed to end the war.
Orbán said there were two schools of thought for assessing the war in Ukraine, with “the big ones” stating that they should continue their current action because their plan would bring success and Russians could be defeated by Ukrainian soldiers, western money and equipment.
Orbán added that he was alone with his contrary opinion. A year and a half has passed and it brought “zero results, or even negative results, because we have not defeated Russia; the Russian leaders are still in their positions and the Russian economy is doing well, thank you”, Orbán said.
At the same time, “we have suffered from high inflation, we have run out of money to support Ukraine and it is obvious that the counterattacks launched by Ukrainians are difficult, and it is questionable whether there is any hope of success,” he said.
“A huge number of people have died and even more will die. The resulting destruction, human suffering and pain is immeasurable, so every means must be used to bring about a ceasefire and peace talks,” Orbán added.
Any financial or political tools should be used to being peace closer, he said. “The EU is yet to do that,” he said.
Orbán said he was afraid that “the EU gave its money to Ukraine for a war that should have never happened.”
European citizens have a good reason to rebel against “the uncontrolled flow of EU monies from the bloc” in times of economic hardship, Orbán said. Meanwhile, the EU is planning to “take out loans and use it for again for the wrong reasons … to drag member states into a long-term debt trap with high interest rates.”
Migrant ghettos?
The EU wants to oblige Hungary to set up “migrant ghettos” and take in up to 10,000 migrants each year, Orbán said.
He added that the government would fight such plans and refuse to carry them out. Hungary and Poland have voted against the proposal while the other countries abstained, which he described as a “soft no”.
He called it “outrageous” that a decision on the migration quota system had been “forced through” the council of EU interior ministers “like a coup”. He noted that in line with an earlier decision, all EU decisions on migration must unanimous.
The prime minister said the Soros network likely stood in the background of the decision. Referring to US financier George Soros having transferred control of his network of NGOs to his son, he said that after the “change of guard” a new generation was now politically more active.
Orbán presented the proposal by Hungary and Poland which involves strict border protection. However, he said the EU did not show any willingness to implement this. Orbán said the reason was that some countries mixed regulations on guest workers with migration, hoping to gain skilled workers. “I always tell them that I have seen those hordes cross through Hungary. Germany’s industry will not receive tireless working hands from among them,” he added.
In other places, there are ideological arguments against the need for country borders. “I tell them: man, your citizens will be blown up. There are terrorist acts,” he added.
A total of 45 migration requests were submitted in Hungary last year, he said. Hungary has made many sacrifices for border protection, having spent some EUR 2 billion or around HUF 800 billion, he added.
A system proposed by Hungary based on external hotspots could be implemented on a European scale, he said. Accoringly, requests must be submitted from outside the EU and only those can enter whose request has been approved.
Hungary is also helping regions and countries where migrants come from because “instead of bringing trouble to Europe, help should be taken to where the trouble is”, he said, citing support provided to the Sahel region of Africa.
Meanwhile, Orbán said energy prices had increased because of the war and the associated ill-fated sanctions, adding that Hungary had been hit hard because a large part of its energy must be imported.
The government has been working to combat price increases ever since inflation first took hold, he said.
“We must be proactive and help people, making decisions that bring down inflation,” he added.
Measures to bring inflation down to single digits by year-end were now showing results, he said, adding that when he had announced the plans “economists and left-wing politicians laughed about it and said it was impossible”.
The government has not given up on the plan and has been making a series of decisions to push down inflation, he said.
It is now noticeable that measures made push inflation down are paying off and chances are good that wage growth could outstrip inflation by July or August, he said. “By the end of the year, we’ll see … whether this succeeds. This would be a great achievement which no other European country has managed,” he added.
Orbán said that next year he would like to see measures that get the economy growing again and families in an easier situation than they are now.
The government’s economic protection action plan is designed to protect jobs, pensions and the value of family support, he said.
Hungary, he added, was building a labour-based economy and now it was practically impossible to find workers. The protection of jobs is key “because if people work, then there will be a solution to every problem,” he said.
Orbán also said that the value of pensions must be preserved and pensions must be increased in line with inflation. Efforts are being made to preserve the 13th month pension and continually increase it in line with the rate of inflation, he added.
The value of family support must also be preserved, he said, adding that certain adjustments were necessary because “it has turned out that some things worked and some didn’t”.
“Of course this year is tormenting us, but eventually we’ll come out of it stronger than when we got into it,” he added.
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11 Comments
Orban asking where EU money went is laughable. He stole billions of Euros for his Fidesz friends … Inflation in France is below 5%. Where does Hungary stand? Yeah, Orban, you protected Hungary from inflation, for sure. You clearly did a good job.
What about wage growth? Maybe in the public sector, you can raise wages (but you need EU money for that) but in private companies, you have no say. If the company doesn’t want to raise wages, they won’t. Stop spreading false hope to your electorate and stop spreading lies.
Yes you are right no one should ask where the Money is instead we should pay double tax to send money to Ukraine to support USA influence spreading and market share winning. We should even pay more tax to can have migrant welcome camp in order our daughter can discover insecurity, insults, physical assault and humiliation. Even with an additional Tax we could built some Mosque to show our respect and become a country like the Frankistan. Please go live in France at least 5 years and the you will run back to Hungary and praise to have still Orban and Fidez leading the country.
Renault, Hungary has not received any money for 3 years. The EU families look at their total income and allocate money earned. Families’ balance their budget every year, The EU forgot that it has financial responsibility to the citizens of EU. It spends money as if there is ” no tomorrow”. Member countries should withhold all monies until an audit has been performed and all money accounted for. If the EU is broke, the EU should stop spending.
Orban Government in CRISIS.
That’s FACT.
It will WORSEN.
That’s FACT.
The Fact of the matter is as long as Orban and his Government “Rule” Hungary, we will CRUMBLE.
CRY out OPPOSITION Party’s – in your SUPPORT – for the Membership of the European Union and for DEMOCRACY.
Hungary these are essentials – our only path of SURVIVAL.
Orban gets so carried away with his rhetoric that he just tells bald faced lies. He claims that Western support for Ukraine has brought “zero results or even negative results.” Do people actually take his statements seriously other than perhaps ignorant rural Hungarians that these statements make their way to through Fidesz controlled media? Ukraine has recovered huge swaths of territory back from Russia and is now at some points past the line of division that existed after the 2014 invasion. Orban’s mouth must have a remote control device that is activated somewhere in the Kremlin. He will make every statement possible to back the Russians. It’s disgusting. It will be interesting to see how Orban changes the channel when Russia is pushed out and Putin implodes.
I’m totally dumbfounded by what I read here, by what some people think of immigrants. Some people actually believe the Orbán government’s ploy in making us believe that our country is going to be overrun by immigrants who will all loot the country, turn it into a ghetto, and pillage, molest or rape our women.
I didn’t want to get into this, but I’m a single blonde blue-eyed female in her (late) thirties, my work has taken all over the world (to name just some places: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Japan, China, Thailand, Philippines, and etc, etc) since I graduated, and I have NEVER EVER experience any violance, molest, or unwelcome attitude or behaviour towards me, BUT, back at HOME (HU), hardly a month goes by when one of our own doesn’t have a go at me – one way or another. So don’t anyone try and have me believe that migrants will be the scourge of Hungary, or that they’re all criminal, or have criminal intentions.
Every migrant wants a better life for themselves, their children, their families, and it’s their human right. They DON’T want criminal records, they don’t want to bring shame on their families.
We call ourelves “Christians”, our Goverment proclaims that we are a Christian Nation which values the family more than anything, well, the behaviour our Government proudly portays is the exact opposite of that. 🙁
marievontheresa – BLINDED by your FIDESZ Membership, your house, a photo-gallery of images – Victor Orban, you dismally FAIL again to understand Truths & Facts.
Orban and his Government caught out LIEING the European Union in funding’s provided to Hungary.
The European Union Courts of Justice – ruled in judgement – the criminal WRONGS of Orban and his Government.
These criminal acts committed by Orban and his Government – we the citizens of Hungary continue to pay a HEAFTY price, in that NO funding is being RIGHTFULLY received by Hungary.
Orban and his Government continue to ABUSE / Insult and Vandalize – the European Union, bombarding FAULT(s) – at the European Union – by Groundless illicit usage of oral and propaganda means of communication.
Orban and his Government, a cashless nearing a collapsing financial and economic Government, through the WRONGFUL paths and direction set upon by Victor Orban, that see’s us Hungary, in a trend that is Cataclysmic.
Hungary – without AGAIN “signing off” to practice all the CORE principals and Laws of DEMOCRACY – will TREND downwards into an abyss or nadir, that is a perilous place.
This vile atmosphere that has ENGULFED Hungary – all the OWNERSHIP of the individual -Victor Orban – in the photo-gallery of your North American home – marievontheresa.
Orbans legacy to Hungary – an ugly read in history it will FACTUALLY be.
Trolling is strong on this artiicle by the anti Orban and Fidesz element.
I have a better idea since the EU is out of money. The EU should declare bankruptcy and dissolve itself. Good Riddance Brussels gave away all our cash to Ukraine for a war its American handlers wanted.
Russia invaded Ukraine and neither Ukraine nor the United States wanted any such war. It is not in anyone’s interest. Sole responsibility for the deaths and destruction lies with Putin and Russia. It is illogical and beyond reason to try to say otherwise.
There are bad 🍎 apples 🍏 in every barrel: Statistics in the EU show that crime % is higher in the migrant communities than local population. By accepting all migrants, the EU removes responsibility of the migrants’ government to its people. Instead, EU countries should try educating the population and establishing viable industries. These industries should not imitate the colonizing countries’ companies by paying unlivable wages and using child labor like France, Belgium and Holland. You must have also missed the articles that told that illegal migrants trying to get into Hungary are using weapons against border guards.
Blind Sighted – Wrongful: Are you upset because Hungary asked the EU for a financial statement. All public companies are required to publish a yearly financial statement as well as a profit and loss statement.
Hungary is one of the most law-abiding countries. People are safe walking the streets day and night. That is one of the reasons Hungary welcomes over a million tourists, some returning on yearly basis. The tourists feel safer in Hungary than in their home country. Look at France and Germany, there are continuous protests, riots and looting.
You mentioned that the EU Court ruled against Hungary, just recently, did not members of the EU parliament got charged with bribery? Decisions coming from the EU Court cannot be taken seriously, the court members see the word Hungary and they automatically rule against the country. Hungary should just ignore that court.
Hungary decided to stay neutral in the Ukraine/Russia war. Ukraine has never been a democracy. Does Ukraine even have sovereignty?
Years ago, when Biden was the Vice President and in charge of Ukrainian affairs, his son Hunter was working for Burisma. The company was investigated. Biden said to the Ukrainian President, if you do not fire the prosecutor, you will not receive the billion-dollar loan guarantee. Then Biden said, “son of a bitch they fired him”. Hunter Biden’s pretend job was safe so much of Ukrainian sovereignty. Zelensky also oppressed all minorities including Hungarians. Russia decided to reclaim ancient Russian lands, lands that belonged to Russia since 1774. Russia supplies Hungary’s energy needs.
Lastly, I hate to disappoint you, but I have never been a member of FIDESZ. I am a fan of Prime Minister Orban and Party. This is the first government of the country that is totally pro Hungarian. Hungary is lucky to have a Judeo-Christian Conservative Government that is continually thriving to improve the standard of living of its citizens.
Members of the EU parliament got charged with bribery? The difference is that in Hungary no one gets charged.