At an international press conference held together with Marine Le Pen, the Hungarian Prime Minister-President of Fidesz said the European Commission has turned from guardian of the Treaties into an ideological hub; both Poland and Hungary are experiencing the modernised EU version of the Brezhnev Doctrine day after day.
Mr Orbán said at the meeting they concluded with some sadness that within the European Union the exertion of ideological pressure has reached unprecedented levels.
The promotion of migration and open society, too, has reached unprecedented levels, and the Commission has turned from guardian of the Treaties into an ideological hub, he added.
In the world system of the Soviet Union, the Brezhnev Doctrine meant that when a Member State departed from the centrally determined ideology, the other members of the socialist camp became entitled to intervene in the internal affairs of the state concerned, he explained. He added that without doubt, the form of such intervention is not irrelevant as intervention with Soviet tanks is much more brutal than a rule of law procedure, but for all that an intervention is an intervention.
“And today we are observing a modernised version of this Brezhnev Doctrine in the European Union which not only Poland, but also Hungary is experiencing day after day,” he said.
He stated that in the past few years several attempts have been made to “crucify Hungary” in the European Parliament. He thanked Marine Le Pen for both herself and her party having always stood with Hungary whenever Hungary was unfairly attacked in the European Union.
He said at the talks they established that we are facing major challenges, the competitiveness of the EU is diminishing in the world economy, and the EU does not have enough political influence and strength on the international scene. He stressed that they have been unable to solve the problem of the pressure of migration weighing heavily upon the EU. This, he said, “is an open wound,” an ongoing burden and challenge. He also highlighted that the EU has been likewise unable to cope with the problem of unleashed energy prices.
Mr Orbán stated that they are opposed to the coming into being of any kind of European super-state. The Prime Minister said they also established that in the whole of Europe traditional party structures are changing, and in this transformation they want to cooperate with each other. The European Right is in dire need of reform, and Fidesz has a vested interest in the establishment of a new formation, Mr Orbán said.
The President of Fidesz said his party has become “a European political bachelor,” with regard to the fact that the European People’s Party “has become so deeply trapped in mainstream left-wing ideology” that Fidesz had no place there anymore.
Mr Orbán recalled that a decisive step has already been taken towards a new formation as at the beginning of July, 15 European parties, including Fidesz and the French National Rally, signed a joint declaration. In his view, this was an “icebreaker,” they have been building cooperation ever since, and this meeting, too, is an important station of that process. He added that in the coming weeks and months, they would like this process to speed up.
In answer to a question, he highlighted that the party alliances that have been formed in the past 30 to 40 years have lost ground, a new era is about to begin, and therefore he is looking for partners with whom they can cooperate in this new era.
Marine Le Pen and her party are potential allies, he said, adding that they are at the beginning of negotiations, and so he is as yet unable to tell what form this cooperation will materialise in. However, the intention is most certainly there.
He said they fully support former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini who is being subjected to “an extremely unfair procedure”. “Mr Salvini is our hero” who as interior minister proved that migration can also be stopped by sea, the Prime Minister said, taking the view that in European politics people like him would deserve respect and appreciation, rather than legal proceedings.
In answer to a question, he pointed out that in the debate on the future of Europe, migration, sovereignty and freedom will be at the centre of the Hungarian opinion. He stressed that the intensity with which migrants are arriving at the borders of Europe keeps changing, but “the wound is still open,” this issue has not been resolved, there is no answer to what Europe wants to do with migration.
We must make a clean breast of this, he continued, stating that according to the Hungarian position, migration is a bad thing, and so we should fundamentally defend ourselves against it.
In answer to the question about which French presidential candidate he would support, the Hungarian Prime Minister said Hungary respects the French people, and does not believe that it should form a position on any issue that is their business, especially not when it relates to a person.
In answer to another question, he pointed out that there is no such thing as a European demos, and so the will of the people cannot be expressed at a European level, only at the level of the nation states.
The Brussels concepts about a super-state are a dead end, he added. The Prime Minister also said the regulatory package “referred to as serving climate protection” currently on the agenda of the EU will destroy the entire European middle classes, and so all available means must be deployed to prevent it.
He said he asked Marine Le Pen to do everything she can so that France, too, stand up for governmental answers that can protect the middle classes from the current high energy prices.
