Latest news with #BalázsOrbán
Budapest Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Balázs Orbán: Only leadership that preserves peace, security, and growth can guide Hungary
Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister's Political Director, said Hungary requires leadership accepted by all, capable of safeguarding the nation's peace, security, and economic progress. Speaking on the Harcosok órája online program on Monday, he argued that in an era of unpredictable conflicts, a fragmented government would put the country at risk. He stated that the core of the Fidesz system is building national unity on major civilizational issues, such as sovereignty, opposition to migration, and a work-based society—positions shared even by many outside the party. He identified the war in Ukraine as the greatest current challenge, stressing that his political community alone can ensure Hungary remains out of the conflict and aligned with no side. On the planned Trump–Putin meeting, Orbán welcomed U.S. efforts toward ending the war, noting Prime Minister Orbán had long called Russian–American talks the only viable path to peace. He criticized Germany and France for lobbying on Ukraine's behalf rather than pursuing negotiations, and accused the opposition of supporting a 'Brussels mainstream' strategy that prolongs suffering on the front. Turning to domestic politics, he condemned the Tisza Party for using an incident at a Székesfehérvár hospital to score political points, saying they avoid substantive policy debates because they lack viable healthcare reform proposals. He also rejected liberal criticism of the Home Start housing program, contrasting the right's commitment to widespread homeownership with the left's preference for rental housing. Orbán said the government's housing policy combines demand and supply incentives, restricts speculative purchases, and promotes property ownership as the foundation of a strong nation and middle class. He stressed the program would only continue if Fidesz–KDNP wins next year's election.
CNBC
27-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Honesty and political trust would help EU-U.S. trade negotiations, says political advisor to Hungary's PM
Balázs Orbán, the political director for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, discusses EU-U.S. trade negotiations and EU sanctions against Russia.
Budapest Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
PM's political director: War rhetoric has taken over issue of competitiveness in European politics
Balázs Orbán, the prime minister's political director, said on Wednesday that war rhetoric and the financing of Ukraine have taken over from the issue of competitiveness in European politics. Speaking at a panel discussion of the Budapest Global Dialogue conference organised by the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, Orbán said nobody in Europe was talking about restoring the continent's competitiveness any longer. He said the focus was now on 'rearming Europe, and that through Ukraine'. 'The war machine and the war propaganda are becoming more and more obvious, and the Brussels elite are desperately trying to convince the European public that they are under existential threat,' he said. Thereby, they want to get people to accept the decline in their living standards, arguing that Ukraine needs to be financed, he added. The threat is used to centralise power in Brussels, Orbán said, since in the event of war, national sovereignty and subsidiarity are pushed into the background, and the goal is to establish a centralised 'superstate' preparing for war. He said Hungary had been saying for ten years that Europe must be able to defend itself. He acknowledged that NATO was of key importance, but warned that if Europe was unable to defend itself on its own, it would be completely dependent on the United States. The Hungarian position is that Europe should primarily develop its own defence capabilities and competitiveness rather than arming Ukraine and admitting it as a member of the EU, Orbán said. At the same time, this cannot serve as the basis for bringing a country at war into Europe's security system, he added. In Hungarian foreign policy thinking, morality is not based on abstract ideals but on loyalty to the national community, Orbán said. He said realism was the only viable way today to avoid wars, arguing that liberal ideology was based on the simplified opposition of good and evil, and was therefore incapable of applying solutions that require compromise. 'For us, Hungarians, peace is not a political, but an existential issue,' he said, adding that 'if anything similar to Chernobyl happened, that would have an immediate effect on our everyday lives.'
Budapest Times
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
PM's Political Director: Strong families are key to a strong country
Family support would include strengthening rural communities and infrastructure "so those wanting to live there suffer no disadvantages", Balázs Orbán said. Balázs Orbán, the prime minister's political director, said strong families are key to a strong country. Orbán made that admission during a conference titled Family formation and the future – the geopolitical, cultural and legal dimensions of demographic change, organized by the Danube Institute on Wednesday. 'Family is the foundation of society, and Hungary's government will do everything in its power to support those wanting to raise a family, and those who already have one,' Orbán said on the second day of the conference on Wednesday, adding that the government 'sees mothers as partners in that effort'. Liberal values had led to the weakening of families and so to that of societies', Orbán said. 'They only way to restore national values is to return to traditional values, to strengthen local communities and revive patriotism,' he said. Perspectives are changing in the West, too, Orbán said. Regarding migration, Orbán said liberal migration policy had led to 'growing crime rates and intra-societal tensions'. Hungary had spent some 2 billion forints (EUR 5m) on border protection and built a fence, 'and now we have to pay a million euros a day just because we are protecting our borders,' he said. Meanwhile, 'by weakening family values, the Western world is weakening itself and paying the price in falling birth rates,' he said. Hungary, on the other hand, had built its 'whole politics and economy on families', he said. Family support would include strengthening rural communities and infrastructure 'so those wanting to live there suffer no disadvantages', Orbán said. He said he hoped that the Hungarian example would prove useful in other countries.
Budapest Times
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
PM's Political Director: If Ukraine joined the EU it would destroy Europe
"It is our firm belief that the EU member states have an inalienable right to decide which other states to allow into the community of European countries," Balázs Orbán said in Brussels. Balázs Orbán, the prime minister's political director, said on Thursday that if Ukraine joined the European Union in the present circumstances the whole of Europe 'would be destroyed', noting that Hungarians will soon have a chance to express their opinion on the matter in a referendum. 'It is our firm belief that the EU member states have an inalienable right to decide which other states to allow into the community of European countries,' Orbán said in Brussels. He added that this right must not be taken away from member states and neither should EU citizens be denied it. 'So we believe in the necessity of expressing opinions in a democratic manner…' he said. Orbán said Ukraine joining the bloc would come with 'horrendous costs', citing the necessity to rebuild Ukraine and finance its state. Moreover, the upheaval of cohesion and agricultural policies due to Ukraine's involvement would cost Hungary dearly, he added. 'We're convinced that speeding up the EU integration of Ukraine cannot be done responsibly in the current situation,' he said. Meanwhile, the political director said European unanimity regarding the Russia-Ukraine war had ceased to exist, which he attributed to 'fundamental changes' in recent months. He noted that the new US leadership was working hard to restore channels of communication with the Russians and to move towards a ceasefire followed by peace talks. He said this coincided with the Hungarian position, one that the Hungarian government has held for three years. At the same time, he said the Brussels institutional system and several member states believed that the European Council should support the continuation of a war strategy 'that has failed in the past three years'. He added that they wanted arms deliveries and to prolong the war. 'We Hungarians cannot assist in that,' he said, adding that sooner or later the changed situation would force Europe and the Brussels bureaucrats to adopt a more sensible approach. He said if the EU maintained its pro-war position, it would fall behind and not be involved in the peace talks. 'We are convinced that the EU must support US efforts aimed at a ceasefire and peace talks,' he said.
