Speaking ahead of a summit of the Visegrád Four (V4), Mr. Orbán said that the EU is facing two simultaneous challenges. The first is that in every respect it has lost its ability to adapt. The EU has failed to draw the right conclusions from the global financial and economic crisis, and it has failed to respond to migration and terrorism, he said.
The Prime Minister added that the bloc has also failed to respond to foreign policy challenges within Europe, such as the conflict in Ukraine.
He said that the second challenge facing the EU is that it is not observing its own current rules on border protection, the Schengen area, fiscal discipline and the operation of financial institutions.
Mr. Orbán also outlined a set of proposals in connection with the future of the European Union’s security policy, economic policy, institutional system, and common policies.
He said security should be made a priority within the bloc, and called for the setting up of a joint European army.
He went on to say that institutions such as the European Council and the European Commission should go back to fulfilling their “original roles”.
The Prime Minister added that the EU should preserve its “tried and tested” policies, such as cohesion and agricultural policies, but migration and social issues should not be managed at the EU level.
He also suggested that the bloc should defend an economic policy aimed at safeguarding fiscal discipline, structural reforms and economic stability.
The Hungarian, Slovak, Czech and Polish prime ministers are being joined at the V4 summit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
