Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was a guest of Radio Kossuth on Friday morning. At the beginning of the conversation, the Prime Minister said that everyone at the EU summit was more nervous than usual, that tensions are rising in all countries.
You can feel that everyone is more nervous than usual in the Brussels meeting rooms. Common sense will sooner or later gain ground, because every person who thinks this way understands that if there is a war - which should never have started - then it can be ended if the parties come to an agreement. If this does not happen, the conflict could last for many years - Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told Kossuth Rádió Good morning, Hungary! in his program, adding that because of the worsening difficulties, anti-war voices will grow stronger throughout Europe.
The relationship between Brussels and money is chaotic, when they say a number there, no one should take offense at that, said the prime minister. According to Viktor Orbán, three major expenses are outlined when it comes to Ukraine and someone has to finance this.
One is the actual cost of the war, for which there are resources in the regular budget of the Union. The second big item is the money for reconstruction, the question is who will carry out and finance this reconstruction, but this will only be relevant after the end of the war.
According to the Prime Minister, the third, most tormenting issue now is the amount needed for the functioning of Ukraine. Viktor Orbán said that Ukraine is currently a non-functioning state in its own right, and in order to keep it from collapsing, about five billion euros are needed every month. The question is who will bear this burden, negotiations are underway between the USA and Europe on how to share this cost and, if Europe undertakes something, how to share the burden among the member states. Hungary will also have to make a decision on this - said Viktor Orbán.
If we are talking about energy or gas, two questions must be raised. Is it available and how much does it cost? There is currently a shortage in Europe. Two solutions are possible to compensate for this. One is to save money, the other is to import gas from elsewhere, for example from the United States. Processing this, however, is a lengthy process, Viktor Orbán said.
He added that it is clear that everyone is trying to take advantage of Europe's difficult situation. There is only one solution to high energy prices: to deliver as much as possible to the continent. In this case, prices will go down. Now, due to the filling of the reservoirs, there is enough gas in Europe for a few months, but after that, if there is not enough, natural gas may soon become more expensive again.
The Prime Minister pointed out that there may not be enough of the energy carrier in Europe, but this does not apply to Hungary. The government has signed contracts that ensure the country's gas supply.
Hungary is more adept at purchasing gas on its own without waiting for others - Viktor Orbán said about the EU's plans for joint gas procurement, in which Hungary does not participate. The Prime Minister emphasized that today Hungary can supply itself with gas, but the Western countries cannot
The prime minister added: the union made decisions that caused the gas shortage, these are the sanctions. And Hungary is trying to get out of the bad effects of the sanctions.
Viktor Orbán evaluated the situation as follows: the union has fallen into the hole dug for the Russians, and instead of stopping digging, "he says let's dig deeper".
The prime minister also spoke about the plans according to which gas should be distributed among the member states at the EU level.
As he said, this comes up every time, and the Hungarian government managed to make it voluntary every time.
He stated: we do not ask from the mandatory solidarity mechanism, because that would mean that those who did it more skillfully and have more gas would have to give it to others.
"What is mandatory in the EU is usually bad for Hungarians," he underlined.
According to Viktor Orbán, the insight that sanctions are responsible for high prices will bring change throughout Europe. Inflation plagues all countries, mainly due to EU sanctions.
"If a fairy magically lifted the sanctions tomorrow morning, the rate of inflation would be reduced by at least half," he said.
According to the Prime Minister, the national consultation is also important so that everyone realizes that they are in danger.
The government does not stand idly by as prices rise. Both people and companies are at risk as they lose competitiveness due to high prices and when this happens there will be layoffs. That is why it is important for the government to support them.
According to the prime minister, the government has important tasks in all areas of the economy. In the case of helping people, he said that the range of centrally priced products could expand in the future.
There was a bitter debate about the interest rate cap, but in the end, the limit was drawn around the 7.7-7.8 percent level for variable loans. This will mean additional costs for the banks. It is not a good thing when the economy has to be intervened in this way, but there are crisis situations when it has to be done, he emphasized.
Viktor Orbán also reminded that a factory rescue program is being launched, the essence of which is to implement energy-saving investments in Hungary.
Source: hirado.hu
MTI Photo: Szilárd Koszticsák
