There are no problematic fields in the German-Hungarian cooperation, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told national radio channel Kossuth Rádió on Friday. The Prime Minister also underlined that he sees great possibilities in the Eurasian economic cooperation plan.

Talking about the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel next Monday, Viktor Orbán said that the results of the cooperation between the two countries are fantastic. The gesture of Chancellor Merkel emphasizes the importance of the long-standing and lasting German-Hungarian strategic cooperation and friendship.

He pointed out Germany as the most successful EU member state, and said that the German Chancellor works hard on resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and on keeping Europe together.

Answering the question whether he expects to receive any criticism from the German Chancellor, the Prime Minister said that leaders belonging to the same community will not criticize each other, independent of the size of the countries they represent.

Viktor Orbán also stated that only Germany has a plan which can give a new framework to resolving issues related to the European Union’s future, and this plan is called Eurasian economic cooperation. The Prime Minister sees a great opportunity in this plan for Hungary, “therefore, it is our best interest for this plan to be placed on the agenda and that it is realized as soon as possible. This would solve our problems and would open even greater horizons for us.” He also added that this is the best possible plan for Hungary, the gate between the West and the East.

Addressing the issue of German businessmen raising critical voices – concerning the advertisement tax for example – he said that these are not critical voices, but voices that intend to protect their financial interests. “In those cases where the Hungarian financial interests can be harmonized with their economic interests, we will seek an agreement. In all other cases, we will favour the interests of the Hungarian people.”

Russian sanctions conflict Hungary’s interests

Talking about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit, the Prime Minister pointed out that in 2015, the long-term agreement on the Russian gas supply to Hungary is going to expire. “Today, the energy supply of the Hungarian economy and the Hungarian families after 2015 is not ensured, which is a problem I must solve”, he said, adding that there are already expert level negotiations going on in this field. Summarizing the issue, the Prime Minister expressed his hope to succeed in reaching an agreement at the meeting with the Russian President.

Concerning the sanctions imposed on Russia, Viktor Orbán said that these sharply conflict Hungary’s interests. However, Hungary is a member state of the European Union and a unified position within the EU is a value, therefore, as member of this alliance, Hungary has subordinated its interests to the common European ones.

Possible cuts of bank tax

In his interview, the Prime Minister said that he does see a possibility for gradually decreasing the rate of the bank tax in the future. He also reminded of the old undertaking of the government, according to which this special tax can be diminished to a level “which is not unknown in Europe” once the economy is on the right track, instead of being on the verge of collapsing. Today, the Hungarian economy delivers good results, therefore it is reasonable to talk about returning to this commitment rationally and gradually, in a well-planned manner.

Accepting unemployment is the original sin of the regime change

It is the original sin of the regime change to take unemployment as given, the Prime Minister underlined. Hungarians are a proud nation and if they have the choice, they chose work instead of living on benefits. The current government is a partner in this matter and thus this natural instinct can immediately improve employment data and unemployment rates, he said. Job-creation is the most important tool of combating poverty.

Talking about the issue of immigration, Viktor Orbán said that there are immigrants arriving in Hungary in masses, who are obviously not refugees and are not being persecuted at home, but leave hoping for a livelihood here. Yet, in order to receive better treatment, they declare themselves as political refugees. He noted that these people often leave Hungary for other countries. Following the terror attacks of Paris; however, the countries that serve as final destinations are also planning to make their policies in this field stricter, which again means that Hungary will not be a transit country anymore, but these immigrants will actually stay here.

“We do not want to become a target country of economic immigrants”, the Prime Minister said. He called for a new European policy and pointed out that there is no reasonable explanation why masses coming from other cultures, seeking better livelihoods should be admitted. He also noted that immigration categories do not apply in the case of work-related movements within the EU, “as we all are European citizens and Europe belongs to us.”

Concerning the decision of the Constitutional Court of Thursday, according to which the first foreign exchange debt regulations are not unconstitutional, Viktor Orbán said that “many hundred thousand Hungarian families had a good reason to celebrate that night.” He also added that it was not easy to find a good solution: it took five years to resolve the problem caused by the irresponsibility of previous governments.

Answering a question concerning the profits generated at the Hungarian National Bank, the Prime Minister said that the Bank being an independent institution it is absolutely out of any government official’s capacity to discuss the profits or losses of it in substance, a fact that he has made clear at the last government session. He also added; however, that it is a sound decision for the National Bank to build reserves in years of profit, in order to be able to finance possible future losses without the help of the central budget.

Regarding the proposal of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) concerning protection against family bankruptcy the Prime Minister said that consultations with the Ministry of Justice are on-going in order to prepare it for debates.

(Prime Minister's Office)