Hungary merely gets back some of the money extracted from here by the Western countries, the Hungarian prime minister said in his Friday morning radio interview. Viktor Orban also stressed that managing the present situation will not stop at stabilising the economy. Hungary must gain a competitive advantage in this difficult situation, and that is what it intends to do.

Speaking to Hungary s public radio, Viktor Orban stressed that people were bound to live in a pandemic situation for a long time, which requires responsible decisions, otherwise we would have to face the consequences. He added that Hungary s pandemic management was successful, and although Hungarian healthcare receives a lot of criticism – for reasons he cannot comprehend – it has proved to be one of Europe s most successful healthcare systems in terms of its emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. Hungary s premier underlined the importance of the fact that the equipment necessary for the defence is manufactured in Hungary, making the country self-sufficient in that respect.

Pointing to one of the great achievements of Hungary s economic protection strategy, Mr Orban said it will not only revitalise the economy following the pandemic, but it has also enabled us to begin „overtaking on bends”, so that by the time life goes back to normal, the Hungarian economy will be at an advantage. He added that as part of the economic stimulus programme, 806 companies have taken the obligation to make investments totalling 337 billion forints (appr. 974 million euros) and the Hungarian government has provided 169 billion forints (appr. 488 million euros) in subsidies to enhance the competitiveness of companies and to preserve jobs.

Concerning the EU s multiannual budget and recovery package, PM Orban pointed out that Hungary is not getting funds from the EU, it only recovers part of the money Westerners have taken out of the country. For a former Communist country, the presumption that the EU „is tossing some money our way” is humiliating. Hungarians should have more self-respect in this regard, the the prime minister said, pointing out that Hungary is a competitive country and it has recovered. „We now have money, which we secured during our most recent battle in Brussels,” he said.