Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is asking everyone to participate in the National Consultation on the “Soros Plan”, because in his view, by doing so they can help Hungary protect itself from immigration.
On Kossuth Radio’s “180 Minutes” programme on Friday, the Prime Minister said that “We have seen the plan in writing, and it was published by George Soros himself: he has put forward the individual points of his action plan on what must be done to block the Hungarian government’s proposals”.
According to the Prime Minister, the bureaucrats in Brussels are working on implementing this plan point-by-point.
He said that a year ago the European Commission had already prepared a proposal for a permanent migrant distribution system “in accordance with the Soros Plan”. He noted that the Hungarian opposition sometimes denies that such a proposal exists.
He declared, however, that the European Council (comprising EU prime ministers) will definitely not arrive at a unanimous decision on such a system, because it will be vetoed – by him alone if necessary.
“A National Consultation will serve to improve the Hungarian national position in this battle”, he declared.
In response to a question on what topics he had not received a mandate for in the previous consultations, Mr. Orbán said that the question is not whether he has a mandate, but whether he has enough power, and “my answer is that I don’t”. What is needed, he explained, is that the people reinforce the general mandate given to the governing parties in the last election; in possession of this he will be able to argue on the international stage that a large majority of the Hungarian national community shares his standpoint as Prime Minister.
Mr. Orbán rejected the possibility that Hungary could receive less EU funding as a result of its disputes with the European Commission. “Brussels is not preparing to do so, because this is totally out of the question, and threats of this kind have absolutely no legal basis within the EU legal system”, he said. “It is unlawful for Hungary to be fined for not wanting to accept immigrants”, he declared, adding that European leaders making statements of this kind are committing a crime.
The Prime Minister reiterated his argument that the European Commission should pay half of Hungary’s border security costs. Long battles on this are to be expected, he said, but “we will eventually settle our accounts with each other”, and “we always have with us that certain chequebook that can be signed by the President of the European Commission”.
Mr. Orbán also confirmed his view that in the upcoming German election the best result from a Hungarian perspective would be a victory for the current German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as she is friendlier towards the Hungarians than the Social Democratic Party’s candidate Martin Schulz, who often speaks disrespectfully about Hungary.
Economic indices were also mentioned during the radio interview, and in relation to this the Prime Minister stressed: “It has become a generally accepted fact that anyone who wants to work in Hungary today can find employment; and as wages have been increasing continuously over the past fifty months, they can support their families and receive recognition for their work”.
In reply to a question on the level of personal income tax, the Prime Minister confirmed that he is a supporter of a gradual reduction in tax related to employment, because this promotes the belief that work is worthwhile. Expanding on his standpoint, he said that “it is better to apply taxes when money is being spent, and this is why in Hungary the level of VAT is higher than the rate of personal income tax”. The Prime Minister added that he regards this as being fairer than taxing income, “which can often be concealed”.
In 2010, only 1.8 million of the country’s 3.7 million workers paid taxes, he noted, adding that “it’s a wonder we survived”, whereas now every one of the country’s 4.4 million workers pays tax.
Mr. Orbán also spoke about pensioners, confirming that “The Government is abiding by the promises it made to increase the value of pensions, because the Hungarian economy is strong enough to ensure that people who have worked all their lives receive what they deserve”.
The value of pensions is not decreasing, and for some years has in fact been increasing, he added.
In reply to a question on the possibility of autumn pension supplements, the Prime Minister said he believed this will not occur; the Cabinet will look at the figures in November and, if required, the Government will implement a retrospective pension increase – as is usually necessary.
Mr. Orbán also mentioned students, pointing out that the state of the Hungarian economy will enable the “Student Loan 2” construction to become interest-free, and the amount of “Student Loan 1” to be increased.
With regard to the Modern Cities Programme, Mr. Orbán said: “The Programme develops major cities, as well as provides security, work opportunities and a stable background for small settlements – as they also benefit from close proximity to developed cities”. He added that “The Programme also requires a minister, because we are talking about a huge coordination task that needs to be well managed; from October this post will be filled by Lajos Kósa”.
Speaking about funding, the Prime Minister declared that he is unaware of any difference between Hungarian and EU funds, because “it is all our money”. Referring to Hungarian contributions to the EU budget and the fact that Hungary has opened its markets to Western companies, he said that “We don’t receive a single cent from the EU as a gift, as we give something in return for every single cent”.
In closing, the Prime Minister spoke about the amendment of the Ukrainian Education Act, making it clear that: “In European culture it is not the custom to strip minorities of rights they have already been awarded”. He noted that “This is what is happening in Ukraine today: they are reducing the opportunities for minorities to receive education in their mother tongue”. He stated that Ukraine must understand that this will not enable it to get any closer to the EU, “and this is also something that we will not allow”. He observed that the affair is not a political one, “since parents and children are at the receiving end”.