The Prime Minister said “we are standing at the gates of great times,” and already the first year of the new decade could be fantastic, even if its first few months could appear “miserable” due to the restrictions.

“We will set out on an ascending course at an incredible speed. The world economy, too, could well embark on an unprecedented course of growth, […] but the Hungarian economy will have to grow even faster,” Mr Orbán stated, adding that the Hungarian economic system is on the verge of a new dimension which only a few can grasp today.

He highlighted that this will be a digitised, so-called circular economy that is capable of recycling its own waste, with radically reduced carbon dioxide emissions, full employment and a growth rate that is perceivably faster than in the Western part of the EU.

The number of people will also increase, they will live in larger homes and will have more children, the Prime Minister said.

Mr Orbán pointed out that by the end of the next decade, the Hungarian economy will have to reach a point where the profits repatriated by Hungarian businesses investing abroad will equal the profits taken out of Hungary by foreign businesses operating here.

The Prime Minister stated that in times of crisis, the Left see the solution in tax increases; he, however, does not believe in this approach.

In times of crisis, taxes must be reduced, both by the state and local governments, and banks, too, are required to make a contribution through the extension of the credit debt repayment moratorium, he said, adding that “in this situation, everyone contributes”. He observed that not all local governments understand the significance of tax cuts, despite the fact that businesses are only able to provide jobs for more people if they have reduced burdens on their shoulders.

He highlighted that businesses must be helped into a position where they are able to provide jobs for as many people as possible.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that in both the first and second waves of the crisis, they had managed to preserve jobs. This is testified to by the fact that at present there are some 60,000 fewer people in employment than a year earlier, before the outbreak of the pandemic. At the same time, only the Czech Republic and Germany continue to remain ranked higher than Hungary in unemployment statistics.

Mr Orbán said it is important, similar to the preservation of jobs, that the country should not give up a single one of its great plans due to the epidemic. He mentioned as examples the gradual re-introduction of the thirteenth monthly pension and the continuation of the various family support and housing programmes.