9. October 2024
Hungary’s controversial head of government Viktor Orban sees his tough migration policy confirmed – and is hoping for Donald Trump’s election victory in the USA.
Orban said this at an impromptu, almost two-hour press conference in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It was boycotted by the official EU video channels, but attracted even more journalists.
“We will open several bottles of champagne if Trump is elected”explained the right-wing nationalist. To justify this, Orban referred to Trump’s statement that he wanted to end the Ukraine war as quickly as possible.
This is also in the European interest, said Orban: “We need at least a ceasefire.” That’s why he traveled to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing himself.
The uncoordinated “peace mission” at the beginning of the Hungarian EU Council Presidency in July led to considerable anger in Brussels. But Orban still believes he is right.
Not only the global south, but also a majority of Europeans want peace, he said. However, Russia and Ukraine are not yet ready for this. Therefore, they have to be urged to talk.
Orban was adamant on the subject of migration. This is the most contentious issue in the EU, he admitted. Because Hungary refuses to apply EU asylum law, Budapest was ordered by the European Court of Justice to pay a fine of 200 million euros.
“We have to find a solution” he said. However, he will stick to his hard line on asylum and migration and seek cooperation with G. Wilders in the Netherlands.
A comment about Brexit was interesting. Since then, everything has been different in Brussels, says Orban. In the past, Hungary often voted together with the UK against Germany and France. This is now over, the national conservatives are on their own.
However, the Franco-German willingness to compromise is over. Only when it comes to Orban do President Macron and Chancellor Scholz quickly agree…
