At the event, Orbán said that though the EU has “no solution to all issues in history”, it has been instrumental in ensuring peace for the community.

Apart from the Yugoslav wars Europe has lived in peace for the past 71 years, Orbán said, but warned that “one accident after WWII” should be prevented from recurring: Europe’s future should not be determined “by the Americans and Russians”.

As further problems, Orbán mentioned issues around retaining Europe’s weight in a global economy shifting towards the Pacific region, and downward demographic tendencies. The German ambassador called for cooperation between EU members to preserve the community’s fundamental values.

Europe’s future should be a subject for discussion; it does not mean that there is no room for debate, but a “practicable compromise” should be reached, he said. Without solidarity no member state can stay competitive in the global race, he said.

He also suggested that though members may proceed with a “different pace”, making the EU stronger should always be the goal. Stoiber said that the identity and experience of each nation must be respected, and asked whether European integration should be made “ever tighter” and if the goal was a federal Europe.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.