‘Disgusting’ VDL and Michel blasted as they congratulate Orban after his attacks on EU

EU proposal for ban on Russian gas blocked by Orban says expert

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The Hungarian leader was re-elected by the country’s legislature for a fourth term on Monday, May 16, after he won the general election last month. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel moved to congratulate Mr Orban on Twitter sparking fury across the EU.

Green MEP Daniel Freund said the messages were a “huge gift for the Orbán propaganda. Now he’s gonna run around at home, saying: ‘See, even our enemies accept the outcome of the elections’.”

“Elections were manipulated and unfair!”, he added.

Hungary expert R. Daniel Kelemen, professor of Political Science and Law at Rutgers University, echoed: “I’ve studied EU politics for nearly 30 years. In general, I am a very strong ‘Europhile’, believing deeply in the project of EU integration.

“I have never been as disgusted with the EU’s leaders as I am today.”

The congratulatory remarks came despite Mr Orban’s latest brutal attacks on Brussels.

During his speech in the Hungarian parliament, he blasted: “On account of our disputes with Brussels, I must also speak separately about the European Union.

“I would like to make it clear that Hungary is a member of the European Union, and in the decade ahead it is in our interest to remain a member of the European Union.

“It is true that today Brussels is seeking to curb the sovereignty of the Member States, including Hungary.

“It is also true that, instead of a Europe of nations, it is trying to build a new European empire, a United States of Europe, following earlier French and German traditions.

“There is also a widening cultural distance – almost a cultural alienation – between the western half of Europe and Hungary.

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“This is because we believe in Europe’s Christian civilisational foundations and we believe in the concept of nation states, which has already been abandoned in Brussels.”

He also said Hungary would not block European Union sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine as long as they posed no risk to Hungary’s energy security.

Hungary, with a few other member states, has so far rejected the EU’s proposed current sanctions on Russian oil. Budapest says it wants hundreds of millions of euros from the bloc to mitigate the cost of ditching Russian crude.

The EU needs all 27 states to agree to the embargo for it to go ahead.

He said the most important task of his new government would be to steer Hungary’s economy through a European economic crisis, defending the tax breaks and benefits granted to families and defending households’ capped energy bills.

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“The war and the European policy of sanctions given in response, has created an energy crisis,” Mr Orban said.

“The energy crisis, and the interest rate hikes in the United States have jointly brought about the era of high inflation. All this will bring about the era of recession, when a decline in economic output, stagnation and years of slight increases in output will follow each other in Europe.”

Mr Orban has repeatedly clashed with the EU over policies, most lately over LGBTQ rights and rule of law issues, but said the importance of Hungary being a member of NATO had never been as obvious as now.

He projected the war in neighbouring Ukraine would “last for a long time … and will pose a permanent security threat to Hungary”.

He said the National Bank of Hungary and the government would have to coordinate steps to curb inflation.

“We will sync these steps … we will take cautious but firm measures to regulate prices,” Mr Orban said in a speech. His government has already capped fuel prices, basic foodstuffs and mortgage rates, as well as households’ energy bills.

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