Hungary and the United States are political allies

Viktor Orbán’s speech at the silver jubilee event of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary

14 November 2014, Budapest

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Hosts and Guests. May I just use one of the few privileges of being Prime Minister and that is to speak in my native language.

Allow me to welcome you all, Ladies and Gentlemen. I extend my warmest welcome to President Beccalli-Falco. Welcome to the building of the Hungarian parliament, and the Chamber of the Upper House. Nowadays there is no upper house in the Hungarian parliament, but there is a Chamber of the Upper House. In the picture on your left you can see Hungarian forces in perpetual rebellion, while on your right are the royalists loyal to the Court. The tension between the two serves to explain the saying that the Hungarians have always produced more history than they could ever digest.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When we Hungarians erected this building, the plan was to create the world’s largest parliament. And we succeeded: it is half a metre longer than the British Houses of Parliament. The only excuse for our forebears’ boundless ambition is that back then the size of this building was in proportion to the territory of Hungary at that time. You are in a parliament building; but if you walk around, along the corridors, you can see that this is more than a mere “factory for legislation”; it is also a kind of treasury, naturally it is a political meeting-place, and also a major site of artistic and architectural heritage. We do not even really call it “the Parliament”. For the sake of our American guests, let me tell you that in Hungarian the name of this building conveys something more. In English it would be: The House of the Nation – or of the Country. Within this term you can sense everything that the building means to Hungary. With that I would now like to welcome you all to this beautiful and famous building.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a point of particular interest for me that this is the eighth time I have had the privilege of addressing the distinguished representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce. This fact reminds me that, since our first meeting, not only is AmCham a quarter of a century older, but so too am I myself – as is plainly visible.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is commonly held that there are huge differences between the worlds of business leaders and political leaders. That may be so, but we can also find similarities. One similarity is that in general all of us tend to believe – particularly after we have reached a certain age – that we have seen almost everything in our respective professions, and that there is nothing new under the sun. And then, all of a sudden, something happens that we have never experienced before. For myself, I clearly remember that in 1999, after having been prime minister for barely one year – and there was a picture of it here – our military initiation as a NATO member took place just a few days after our accession to the organisation; that was when we participated in NATO’s military operation in the crisis in the Balkans. I could hardly believe that any military experience could shock and depress us more than that, but now, 15 years later, we watch in horror the television footage from Iraq, where people are being beheaded.

I spent some years in my thirties at the head of the Hungarian negotiating committee responsible for preparing the country’s accession to the EU. At the time I believed that I would never have to resolve a more complex legal issue. Now, however, we are engaged in talks on resolution of the Eurozone crisis and the free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. Ten years ago, when Hungary joined the EU, the whole continent was full of joyful optimism. I still vividly remember – although this is something that we do not talk about any more – that back then we approved a document which foresaw that the European Union was to be the world’s most developed region by 2010. But now, week after week, we talk about how to halt the decline of the European Union’s share in world trade and the global economy.

Something else that actors in politics and business might be said to have in common is that we bear enormous responsibility. While the degree of that responsibility may vary, there is indeed similarity: our decisions make an impact on the lives of tens or hundreds of thousands of people. I believe that it is these challenges and tensions, with the resulting high stakes and heavy responsibility, which lend a special kind of beauty to the work of political and business leaders. I believe that you cannot grow old in either of these fields. New challenges, problems, tensions and controversies have the positive effect of keeping the intellect fresh and young. This, perhaps, is the reason why we have felt ever since 2008 that life is exhilarating.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Unexpected things emerge and new events take place in the world. Changes on quite the scale of those happening now have not happened for a quarter of a century. And we here in Europe are not observing this change from the outside, from the grandstand; it is more like sitting in a racing car which was considered one of the pre-race favourites, but is now falling behind the field. We can sense that something has gone wrong, there is a defect that we must somehow repair mid-race, because no race has ever been stopped for one car’s mechanical problems – even if the driver is a multiple champion and the current championship favourite. And on top of all this, our attention is tied up with the details of the daily hustle and bustle. In Hungarian we also have the saying that one cannot see the wood for the trees, that the mass of detail prevents one seeing the whole – the bigger picture. To let this happen is a huge mistake. We leaders must see beyond these details, and while we are busy taking care of our daily business, we must not lose sight of larger developments.

This anniversary today, Ladies and Gentlemen, offers us a vantage point on such developments. From here, we can clearly see the forest’s outline. From here, it is clear that there may be debates and controversies – say between the governments of Hungary and the United States – but in actual fact, we are two political allies. There may be reservations and disputes between US corporations and regulatory authorities – be they tax or competition authorities; but from this vantage point, at an elevation of twenty-five years, one can see with perfect clarity that Hungary and the United States are good economic partners. And while there may be debates on ideology or values in relation to what is progressive and what is not, or what the future holds for families, religion or nations, from this elevation of twenty-five years, one can clearly see that there is friendship between the American and Hungarian peoples that is based on respect. There is alliance in politics, partnership in business, and respect in our intellectual and cultural lives. This is the essence of American-Hungarian relations.

This friendship is not rooted in political declarations, but has been woven from the intertwined fates of human beings. We should be grateful for this friendship to the Hungarians who, by bridging the geographical distance between the United States and Hungary, created relations between the two nations that last to this very day. We owe this to Mihály Kováts, the brave, Hungarian, Karcag-born hussar, who was killed in action in the Siege of Charleston, fighting for the freedom of the American nation. To Hungarians who not only found a new home in the United States but also actively participated in the building of that new home. We owe this alliance to Hungarian geniuses who left their mark on American politics, business, science and culture, but also on history itself: people such as Leó Szilárd, Ede Teller, János Neumann, Jenő Wigner, Albert Szentgyörgyi, Tódor Kármán – names that feature on a much longer roll call. They were all people endowed with outstanding talent who were capable of special achievements because they came from one exceptional country and arrived in another exceptional place. Both nations have every reason to be proud of them. I have recently heard that there are some 65,000 dollar millionaires of Hungarian origin in the United States. This represents many millions of liquid dollars, as they say. So this is the friendship that has allowed us to make progress on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, and this is what we bear in mind also at present when Hungary is a full and responsible member of this community.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Hosts,

People in Europe are sometimes bewildered when Americans – great ones from the past and those with power today – speak about America’s exceptional position. This causes no surprise in Hungary. We believe it is natural that every nation should look upon itself as exceptional. And it is also natural that each nation should see itself as exceptional for its own special reasons. In this respect, it does not matter whether a country is big or small, whether it is an empire or a Central European nation; it does not matter how high its GDP is, and it is also immaterial how many nuclear warheads it has. This is because these things speak only about quantity, while being exceptional is about quality and mentality. To speak a language that no one – other than those forming part of that nation – speaks: this is a sure sign of being exceptional. To stand alone, without relatives, in a circle of neighbours who are related to one another: another sure sign of being exceptional. To survive for one thousand one hundred years, to hold on to that which you have, to express your thoughts in literature, music and fine arts of the highest standing in global terms: these are all signs of being exceptional. And across the ocean from here a sign of being exceptional is that the American people have succeeded in creating a unique and unprecedented democracy, and have maintained it for centuries. To grow from thirteen British colonies into a world empire is obviously proof of being exceptional.

How vast are the differences in scale, and yet how obvious the similarity in essence! The belief that there is something that has significance beyond our lives in the here and now, and which one’s nation alone can give the world. To believe with unshakable faith that if our language, our culture, our constitutional system, our talent were to disappear from this world overnight, then the world would be irreparably poorer for that irreplaceable loss. To believe that only individuals free to live their own lives and free to pursue their enterprises may create strong communities, and that only strong, autonomous communities comprised of these free individuals constitute the foundations of a successful and confident nation. To believe in and to have faith in individuals being able to create their own success through their own effort, standing on their own two feet and not dependent on others’ charity or vulnerable to others’ malice. To believe in all this with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence – the thought with which the Declaration of Independence ends, and Hungary’s Fundamental Law begins.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

And as we look into the future, how much more we may have in common! Many people look to the future differently from the way we Americans and Hungarians do. Many people are full of uncertainty and anxiety. Many people feel that the future is something dangerous, which holds a great many threats – as yet unknown. But there are those of us who believe that the future has fantastic potential. The future is something incomplete, and it is we who can decide what it should be: an opportunity, inspiration, attraction, hope, knowledge and innovation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All of this can also be translated into the grey language of economic data. The cornerstones which guarantee and securely anchor the future of Hungary and the Hungarian people may be the following. First of all, development of the economy. The largest economic development programme in Hungary’s history will be launched next year. We shall provide assistance to tens of thousands of businesses, broadband internet will be made available to every home, our motorways will extend to the country’s borders in every direction, and all our major cities will be connected to an extensive system of transport infrastructure. We shall cut costs in bureaucracy, because we think that Hungarian bureaucracy is too expensive, and imposes excessive burdens on Hungarian economic actors and Hungarian families alike; we must therefore embark on a new era. By the end of our term in office in 2018, we may achieve full employment. Employment levels have increased and unemployment has decreased over the past four years. The latter is now below 8%, but over the next four years we shall create still more new jobs – including in cooperation with US firms. In accordance with the principle of “something for something”, we have the continued goal of providing jobs for Hungarians, rather than benefits. And we must also build Europe’s most flexible labour market, providing its best, quality workforce. We may already be on the European medallists’ podium, but we want to be at the very top. We shall consolidate – and indeed continue – the modernisation of the tax system. You know, dear guests, that hard work, achievement and the resulting prosperity are not penalised in Hungary but recognised and encouraged. Hence we have flat-rate income tax and no inheritance tax. We firmly believe that we should not tax the money that people earn, but that which they spend. The current economic figures appear to confirm the just and correct nature of this philosophy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Finally, we may observe today that while Europe is stagnating, Central Europe is taking great strides forward. While many people in Europe fear unemployment, in Central Europe – Hungary included – there will be a steadily worsening shortage of labour. People around the world are making great efforts to protect what they have already achieved, and are therefore not prepared to make any changes. Everyone in Central Europe knows – because our history has taught us this – that we must adapt, change, create, recreate and renew ourselves day after day. Over the next few years, economic growth in our continent will come from Central Europe; every analyst and expert agrees on this. Great innovations, new social and economic organisational solutions, and new and ever-widening business opportunities will emerge here, in this region, in Central Europe, with Hungary as part of it.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Of course, if we think about the future, we can say hardly anything of any use without interpreting the enormously rapid geopolitical change that is taking place. China is moving inexorably forward, America is maintaining the pace, Japan has not given up and India, too, is vying for position in the leading pack. We can only stop decline in Europe if we carry forward the stalled European project by giving it new impetus. If the Member States in the Eurozone follow monetary union with the creation of fiscal union. If we continue the standardisation of the European market, and guarantee free movement and employment for our citizens across the entire continent. And as we heard from President Beccalli-Falco, we should extend the single market to every possible facet of the new industrial revolution that is about to take place.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Hungary has strong views on the changes that are taking place in the world today. We may even afford ourselves the luxury of stating them, although this is hardly risk-free in our line of business – in fact, it is not at all recommended. But for my part I could perhaps say that I was born in the Cold War, grew up in it, and my youth was spent in it. There were hundreds of millions of others like me who in the years of our youth were captives of opposition, mutual deterrence, threats and Cold War. There is not a single sensible person in Hungary, Central Europe or Europe as a whole who would want to see a return to that. We who live on this continent want to see the observance of international law, peace, cooperation and the economic prosperity that results from these. We shall never abandon this dream. We do not want to end our lives the way they started. We do not want European peace, welfare and prosperity to be reduced to a mere interlude between two cold wars. We want a European policy which makes everyone see their interest in the advancement of Europe. One of the pillars of such a Europe – perhaps its central, supporting pillar – is the transatlantic alliance; in other words, a brotherhood in arms between the United States and Europe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

If we look at the figures related to US companies operating in Hungary we realise how astounding they are: 1,700 US concerns operate in Hungary, providing a living for more than 80,000 Hungarian citizens; investment by US businesses in Hungary has surpassed USD 9 billion; and investments by forty American multinational companies have created more than 40,000 new jobs in the past ten years. Looking at these figures, we think of your hard work, your outstanding contributions, and well-deserved economic growth. And yet, it is not only your outstanding business achievement that comes to mind. We Hungarians look upon your companies operating in Hungary as businesses which, beyond the mere pursuit of profit, investments and jobs, also have a higher and greater mission. In you we see tangible evidence of the American-European and the American-Hungarian strategic alliance. Each job that you create, each investment that you make, is a building block in the edifice that is the American-European and American Hungarian alliance and friendship.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for having been here for twenty-five years. I wish us all success, glory, and another happy twenty-five years!

Thank you for your attention.