Orbán to participate in online conference with Serbian, Slovenian leaders

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will participate in an online conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa next Wednesday, according to a Fidesz official.

The conference Europe without Censorship will be streamed on Orban’s Facebook page, Katalin Novák, a deputy leader of ruling Fidesz, told commercial broadcaster InfoRadio on Monday.

The English-language conference aims to show what leaders “who enjoy an overwhelming majority” in their countries “truly think of Europe … without the distortion of translations,” Novák said.

Due to the pandemic, endeavours by Fidesz and the European People’s Party to iron out their differences have been set back, Novák said. “Even then, some have kept on trying to find a way to expel Fidesz from the party,” she added.

EPP leader Donald Tusk, she said, had partnered with people who were determined “to divide the party family”.

“International forums are not used to clear, straight talking,” she said, explaining negative views of Fidesz abroad. Novák insisted such people were “unhappy Hungary’s national interests are being successfully asserted.”

Regarding family support, Novak said the government is spending 2,300 billion forints (EUR 6.5bn) on subsidies this year, two and a half times the sum that went towards the same goal in 2010.

During the pandemic, the Hungarian government has expanded support for families, she said. Applications were simplified and deadlines pushed back to ease their burden, she said.

The allowance for mothers of newborn babies will be raised to 100 percent of the mother’s gross salary from July next year, leaving mothers with more money in the first half year of the baby’s life, she added.