The prime minister said that over the past 120 years, the country’s economic performance had reflected a cyclical nature. Between 1900 and 2010, averaged out, the country’s annual GDP per capita growth rate was never above 1.5%.

This left Hungary trailing the developed countries, and attempts to close that gap continually proved futile, Orbán said. Since 2010, however, Hungary has been registering higher GDP growth and consumption rates than the euro zone, adding that the employment rate was above the European Union average.

Orbán urged the parliamentary parties not to “squander” the chance to make economic progress thanks to achievements made between 2010 and 2016. Meanwhile, the government is to launch a national consultation on “five dangers” facing Hungary, Orbán said, citing efforts by Brussels to introduce common energy pricing which could compromise government cuts to utility bills, EU policies on migration which counter Hungarian ones, and “attacks on Hungarian efforts” to cut taxes and create jobs.

He also referred to foreign interference in Hungary’s affairs. He said Hungary insists on retaining its right to set energy prices, saying that this was not a power which could be transferred to Brussels. Concerning migration, Orbán said it still had strong support in Brussels. But “step by step the countries supporting migration and those in Brussels” are being “contained”, the prime minister said. Slowly but surely, Germany and Italy are also changing their stance on migration, he said.

Orbán said Europe should now turn its attention to migrant detention. He noted that the government plans to introduce a system under which migrants who have submitted an application for asylum will be banned from moving around freely on Hungarian soil until their case has been ruled on. He added, however, that Hungary’s standpoint was shared by more and more countries in Europe, which support a policy outlined at a recent EU summit to set up refugee camps outside the bloc.

Before, “Brussels had not wanted to even hear about the idea,” he said. Migration pressure on Hungary’s borders is not expected to disappear over the next few years, which is why border protection will remain a top national security issue, he said.

Orbán said the third threat facing Hungary was attempts by foreign-funded “networks” to gain influence in the country. He said these organisations had “nothing to do” with civil groups, arguing that they were rather “Hungarian depots of international organisations”. He said the government was aiming for transparency and would not allow “global capital” to make decisions in place of the Hungarian people.

The prime minister said Brussels was also preparing to take over a new slate of economic powers from member states, which he said would also impact Hungary’s tax regulations.

“Hungary’s successful tax system must be protected,” he insisted, adding that Hungary’s various job creation schemes, such as the fostered work scheme, the job-protection action plan and investments aimed at creating jobs were also under attack from the EU.

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

MTI photo Szigetváry Zsolt