Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered his annual review speech in Budapest on Saturday, February 14th, just two months before parliamentary elections. He stressed the importance of preserving Hungary’s sovereignty and warned that a political shift toward Brussels could threaten the economic security of Hungarian families.
Orbán highlighted government measures such as doubling family tax breaks, extending tax exemptions for mothers, reducing inflation, creating 300,000 new jobs, and raising employment. He also promised further wage increases, housing subsidies, and pension reforms, stressing the government’s aim to maintain economic growth and social stability in the coming years.
The PM sharply criticised the European Union institutions and his domestic political opponents alike, claiming Brussels is attempting to influence Hungary’s internal affairs. He asserted that the Hungarian government would resist such pressures and would accept neither restrictions on its veto powers in the EU nor imposed common foreign policy decisions.
Orbán framed national sovereignty as a civilizational issue, urging supporters to engage in shaping the country’s future. He also invoked international backing, noting that allies like U.S. president Donald Trump back resistance to liberal global networks, which he said strengthens Hungary’s position:
We too can take seven-league strides and push out of Hungary the foreign influence that limits our sovereignty, together with its agents. … As long as there is a national government, we will not send weapons, they cannot take our money, and they cannot take our young people to Ukraine.
The annual review serves as a key political message ahead of the elections, emphasising both the government’s achievements and the challenges it expects to face.
