"Many people in Europe admire Hungary, seeing it as an example of will and independence," said Alain de Benoist, the theoretician of the French New Right, on Tuesday in Budapest.

The philosopher and writer gave a lecture at the House of Terror Museum for the Foundation for Civil Hungary (PMA) and the XXI. It was launched in 2015 in cooperation with the Század Institute as part of a series of events called Eötvös lectures.

Alain de Benoist in Why did the European Union fall into crisis in the age of globalization? In his presentation, he talked about, among other things, the fact that many people in Europe look at Hungary with sympathy and admiration, seeing it as an example of will and independence.

He spoke at length about globalization and the functioning of the EU, as well as the state of the European continent from a historical, geopolitical, economic and cultural point of view.

"Europe is in a political, economic, spiritual, intellectual and moral crisis".

Regarding the formation of the European community, he emphasized that the EU originally started as an economic cooperation, its founders were "obsessed" with the economy, and they deliberately neglected culture. According to his findings, the reason for the "democratic deficit" characteristic of the EU institutions is also to be found in this. He also stated that Europe is in a political, economic, spiritual, intellectual and moral crisis, its institutions have no democratic legitimacy, it is an organization unfit for governance, and its foreign policy is completely subordinated to the United States.

Referring to a survey, he said that currently 70 percent of the French would like to see the EU's room for maneuver be limited.

Turning to globalization, he emphasized that its negative consequences should be dealt with by enforcing the principle of locality, nation-states, regions and subsidiarity as much as possible.

Alain de Benoist also criticized the EU's migration policy, and then, in connection with the war in Ukraine, he spoke about the fact that the EU should have assumed a peace-making role, but instead joined sanctions that contradict, among other things, its own energy interests. At this point, Alain de Benoist agreed with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's statement that the EU "shot itself in the lung" with the sanctions. He also stated that the real issue of politics is sovereignty.

Source: MTI/Mandiner

Opening photo: Thomas Samson / AFP