Speeches

Mr President, EU countries want border walls and other barriers against illegal immigration, and the EU should pay for it. The majority of European leaders demanded that the European Commission immediately mobilise substantial funding for this. This was two years ago and Ursula von der Leyen did nothing. What did the Commission do instead? They sued Hungary for defending the EU's external borders. For not allowing illegal entry into the EU, Hungary received a EUR 200 million fine. In addition, they demand that we pay a fine of EUR 1 million for each and every day that we refuse to give up our efforts to keep illegal migrants out of the EU. European citizens don't want a Christmas like in Magdeburg. They don't want a New Year's Eve like in Brussels or Cologne. Europeans want tough border protection on the outer borders of the European Union. The radical ideology of Brussels elites about open borders is a failure. It goes against the will of EU governments, it goes against the will of European citizens and it goes against common sense. Ultimately, European citizens pay the highest price for it. In 10 years, Hungary has already spent EUR 2 billion to defend the EU's borders on the south. In the east, several countries are now spending vast resources to keep illegal immigrants out. Pay for the fence in Hungary; pay for the fence in Finland; pay for the fence in Poland and all other countries that defend our external borders. This was the demand of the European governments so that European citizens won't have to pay with their blood.

If I understand, you're from the European People's Party and you have supported the adoption of the EU migration pact, which includes an element about mandatory relocation or a EUR 20 000 fine per migrant for each and every Member State. Taking into consideration the events of today and the consequential and permanently happening terror attacks in Germany, are you and is the EPP finally willing to take the relocation element out of the migration pact and the EUR 20 000 fine out of the migration pact? Or do you want to continue with this lunacy?

Dear Madam President, European citizens want peace and security, not Christmas in Magdeburg or New Year's Eve in Cologne. However, the European People's Party, along with the Left, is calling for the distribution of migrants and the punishment of Member States that say no. The Tisza Party and DK are also part of this Brussels alliance. Péter Magyar will also be speaking soon. Mr. Member, why did the yews vote on 23 October to allocate more money to support illegal migrants? Why did the voters vote against Hungary receiving the money we have spent so far on joint EU border protection? Why spread fake news about people smugglers expelled from our country? The protection of Hungarian interests and the security of the Hungarian people come at a price. You're still hiding behind your immunity. This also has a price, and it is paid by giving up Hungarian interests. The ballots tell us. Shame on you.

Dear Mr President, Without any evidence, it is assumed in a leftist newspaper article that something irregular may have happened in Hungary, and a plenary debate on it is immediately organised in the European Parliament. If that wasn't absurd in itself, the choice of topic would be. Have the Hungarian services observed the activities of OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office? I don't know about that, but I, myself, have been watching OLAF's activities and those of other EU institutions to see how they act against fraud. First of all, there is the corruption scandal of the Socialists in the European Parliament, Qatargate. Do you know what OLAF discovered? I didn't do anything. There are still no messages from Ursula von der Leyen on the Pfizer case. It is a procurement of tens of billions of euros. Do you know what OLAF discovered? I didn't do anything. After years of money laundering, former Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders was arrested. Where did the money come from? How much is it? All interesting questions. Do you know what OLAF is doing on this case? I didn't do anything. If you look at the biggest corruption scandals or fraud cases in Brussels, OLAF is like it doesn't exist. What does OLAF do at this time? Someone could finally find out, because there's a need for it.

Mark Zuckerberg recently admitted that Facebook was censoring under political pressure. The pressure of the American left and the pressure of Europe. And at this time of censorship, you were Facebook's leading lawyer. He had to know exactly what was going on. I would therefore like to ask you two questions. On the one hand, how did Facebook operate the censorship machine, and on the other, how can you find out who and what content was censored?

Oh, Mr. President. The old, tried-and-tested method of the left is to try to silence opinions they don't like. Twitter used to be a platform of left-wing censorship. Censors have suspended ten times as many right-wing accounts as left-wing ones, including those of US President Donald Trump, and the left has welcomed this censorship. When Elon Musk fired the left-wing censors, there was a left-wing fire. Even the Commission threatened him with censorship. It's totally absurd. Commissioner, please do not follow the bad example of your predecessor. If an election result does not suit the left in a country, it is not because democracy is being violated. The voters are simply fed up with the lies of the left. It's time to finally understand: Europeans do not ask for censorship and do not ask for misguided left-wing policies.

In Syria, the forces of the Assad regime have been defeated. He himself fled the country. Nonetheless, the situation is fragile. The outcome of the power struggle is unpredictable and we must be prepared for every scenario. In this situation, the EU has three main interests and responsibilities. First, I ask the European Commission and the External Action Service to keep a very close and direct line of communication with the leaders of the Christian community. They may become a target very quickly and very easily. If they are targeted, they can only count on Western help and we need to stand ready. Second, aid sent to Syria should not end up in the hands of radical groups. It would be indefensible towards European citizens if we helped the consolidation of yet another oppressive regime. And third, our aid should aim to create the circumstances that make the swift and safe return of refugees possible.

Dear Madam President, Child protection begins with family support, a father and a mother who want what's best for their children. In Hungary, we have been introducing new family support measures for 14 years. As a result, in 2023, twice as many young people were married as in 2010, when we came to power. It is estimated that in 10 years, 120,000 children were born who would not otherwise have been taken care of by their parents, and the number of abortions fell by 41%. We provide free textbooks and meals so that the parents' financial situation does not hinder the children's learning. We want to provide stability and predictability for families. This is the most important thing for children. In addition, Hungary has adopted the strictest child protection and anti-pedophile law in Europe. We're on the parents' side. Pedophile crimes are not time-barred. Parents should decide when and how to meet their children with sexual content. With the proliferation of digital tools, this is becoming increasingly difficult and important. The Hungarian state protects children's right to self-identity according to their sex at birth, i.e. we protect them from the horrors of transgender ideology. For this reason, however, we have not received recognition, but a lawsuit has been brought against us by the European Commission. We will not allow ourselves, we will protect Hungarian families and children.

I'll speak Hungarian. So many lies have been told about Hungary, I don't have the opportunity to respond to everyone. I'm sure some people just lie, some people just... There have been so many lies about Hungary, or simply mistakes, which cannot be left unanswered, but I do not have the opportunity to respond to everyone. I would like to make it crystal clear that this is about national sovereignty. You do not have to deal with Hungary, because according to Article 14 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, this is national sovereignty, and it is the right of parents to choose the values according to which they want their children to be educated. Article 14 in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. There is no punishment for gays in Hungary. The new law, the 2021 law, does nothing but protect minors. (The President interrupted the rapporteur)

Dear Madam President, A child is not a product. Motherhood is not a service. We can't change our gender, and sexual propaganda has no place in schools. There is no broad public support for anti-women and anti-family leftist propaganda, so the European Commission and the left are trying to impose their will on the Member States through court decisions. We're not gonna let him. The family is the fundamental unit of every society and every nation. That is why family policy, social policy issues, child protection and education policy are rightly a national competence, not an EU competence. In Hungary, motherhood and families are regulated by laws that have a high level of social support. Our child protection measures were supported by a unanimous majority of the Hungarian people in a referendum. Their message is clear. Hands off our kids!

Mr President, I was an international observer at the Georgian elections and I'm totally appalled about what happened. Georgia held free and fair elections. Everyone who was there knew this. NGO observers told me they trust the integrity of the elections. That's what opposition party observers told me. That's what voters told me and I talked to several of them in different voting stations. Minor provocation and incidents took place at some voting stations, but nothing that couldn't happen anywhere else. The vote difference in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party is more than 300 000 votes. Fraud claims don't even come close to match the massive victory of the Georgian Dream party. And then came politicians from EU countries who try to destabilise Georgia and fuel protests. Georgians made a democratic choice. Even if many don't like it in the EU, we should respect their choice. The Georgian Prime Minister clearly said in his first statement after the elections that continuing EU accession talks will remain a priority. We need to continue our partnership and accession talks with the new government.

Madam President, dear colleagues, do you remember what Ursula von der Leyen promised in February 2022? She announced sanctions which would cripple Putin's war machine. Two and a half years and 14 sanctions packages later, here we are discussing this humiliating failure. Picking energy as a battlefield against a global energy giant was arrogant and foolish. Ukrainians are paying the ultimate price because of this. The Russian shadow fleet of oil tankers is more than a sanctions evasion issue. It's also worth looking at why sanctions in general ain't working. Because beyond Western countries, no country in the world joined our sanctions. None. They rather trade with Russia. But let's not the point the finger at other countries. Let's look at European countries. EU countries imported EUR 8.5 billion worth of seaborne Russian oil through intermediaries in India and Türkiye. European countries have boosted trade towards Central Asian countries. Import and export data make it obvious that these products' destination is Russia. Western components were also found in Russian missiles that hit Ukraine. Despite the obvious failed sanctions of Ursula von der Leyen, she was re-elected by the EPP and its leftist allies. Do you really expect change when you vote for more of the same? Ukraine deserves our help. We need to help them bring a negotiated end to this war. This is also what the majority of European citizens want.

Dear Mr President, In 2022, Hungary experienced the largest foreign interference since the regime change. The Hungarian left has received more than $10 million in foreign funding for its parliamentary election campaign from the US left through suspicious NGOs and intermediaries. They all came together and benefited from: The Socialists, the Liberals, the Greens, and even the racist Jobbik. The leader of their coalition was joined by two EPP leaders, Manfred Weber and Donald Tusk. Inspired by a desire for power, even the most basic democratic principles have been overturned. And when it turned out, they were lying about where the money came from, and the Hungarian people were rightly outraged. According to research, more than 60 percent thought it was unacceptable for political campaigns to be financed from abroad. In order to prevent further electoral interference, Hungary, the Hungarian Parliament, adopted the Law on the Protection of Sovereignty. Do you know what happened? The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure and taken the matter to court. But the People's Party didn't learn from the scandal either. A few weeks ago, Manfred Weber, standing right here in this very spot, announced that the new candidate for Brussels was Péter Magyar, hiding behind his immunity. Today is the anniversary of the 1956 revolution. On this occasion, I would like to stress: We will not tolerate any foreign interference and we will always protect Hungary's sovereignty from everyone!

Ms Düpont, you are from the EPP. We are witnessing a severe crisis now in Europe. Still, I have a very simple question to you. Does the EPP support still the relocation of illegal migrants in Europe? (Ms Düpont asked Mr László to repeat the question.) Does the EPP still support the relocation of illegal immigrants in the EU between Member States?

Dear Mr President, The European Commission's annual Rule of Law Report has become a political weapon and a parody of itself. It is mainly used to learn about the political attitude of the European Commission towards individual governments. The President of the European Commission is also completely deficient. We see this in the case of Hungary. They talk about the rule of law, but they really want us to allow sexual and sexual content and gender ideology into schools. They want us to allow illegal migrants into Hungary and the Schengen area. This is not a question of the rule of law, it is a question of political choice. But we have seen the same in the case of Poland, when Mrs von der Leyen's political allies won the elections, then the European Commission's concerns about the rule of law flew out the window. However, the new Polish Parliament has not yet amended a single law. And we saw the same thing before the Italian elections, when Giorgia Meloni was the main candidate for the election, when Mrs von der Leyen threatened her and the Italians to suspend EU money if they did not vote as they should. Instead, it would be your job, Commissioner, to provide the framework for effective cooperation between Member States. That's it, nothing more. Instead, Mrs von der Leyen is overwhelmed by the desire for power and demands a political role that she is explicitly forbidden to play under the EU Treaties.

Madam President, the murder of Philippine, the terrorist attack in Solingen and the attack in Essen rightly provoke the anger of Europeans and they rightly ask the question again and again: What are these people doing in Europe? Why is the EU not doing anything about it?" My colleague Fabrice Leggeri ran Frontex for seven years. He wanted to protect the Union's external borders, but he did not have the right to do so. The European Commissioner asked him to ensure that Frontex supports immigration. In Hungary, we did the opposite. In 2015, we built a border fence to protect Hungary and the European Union. Since then, we have spent €2 billion on border protection. In retaliation, the European Parliament demanded that EU funds for Hungary be suspended. The Commission has done so. In fact, it sued us and fined Hungary €200 million for not letting illegal migrants in. That's not all. They demand that we change Hungarian law and let illegal immigrants in. You know, it would be easier if we were wrong. I wish crime hadn't increased. I would have liked the attacks in Brussels, Bataclan and Nice not to happen. I wish Philippine and many other victims were still alive. We will defend Hungary and transport as many illegal migrants to Brussels as the European Commission requires us to receive.

Mr President, we've heard these speeches very often, also from Ms von der Leyen, 'we want more legal pathways'. But the situation is that there have already been millions of people who entered the EU illegally and they have not been able to integrate. So Ms von der Leyen wants millions to enter legally. How many more would you like in your country?

Dear Madam President, The Hungarian left-liberal press and Péter Magyar announced that this would be the great debate, the great clash between Viktor Orbán and Péter Magyar. And what's become of it? A best of Péter Magyar's summer Facebook posts. It's a good thing you left your favorite Hitler quote at home this time, but even without it, it was extremely embarrassing. What is even more embarrassing is that after him a German politician, Manfred Weber, stands in the middle of the parliament and recommends this man to the attention of the Hungarian people. This speech by Péter Magyar, where he quoted Hitler, was delivered only a few days ago in Budapest. Shame on you, shame on the European People's Party!

Colleagues, we haven't heard a single number – only concerns and accusations. I put a number out there in my speech: 259 517 Russian citizens residing in Germany. What do you think about that regarding your concern? You put this on the agenda of the LIBE Committee a few weeks ago, you cited no numbers. All the colleagues who spoke against Hungary cited no numbers. The Commissioner cited no numbers. So why are you scared about five plus five permits and not comment on the 259 517 Russian citizens in Germany?

Madam President, dear colleagues, there are some people in this House who always point the finger at Hungary. The same applies when it comes to visas issued to Russian citizens. But I'll let the facts speak for themselves. In 2021, before the war in Ukraine began, EU countries issued 536 241 visas to Russian citizens. In 2022, the year the war began, EU countries issued 687 239 visas to Russian citizens. That's 150 000 more visas into the Schengen zone. Do you know how many debates the European Parliament held about this? Zero. In 2023, France issued 99 517 visas to Russian citizens. Do you know how many debates were held in the European Parliament? Zero. In 2023, Spain issued 92 414 visas to Russian citizens. Do you know how many debates there were in the European Parliament? Zero. In 2023, Greece issued 54 289 visas to Russian citizens. Do you know how many debates there were in the European Parliament? Zero. On 1 January 2023, there were 711 035 Russian citizens legally residing in the European Union. Of those, 259 517 in Germany. Out of those more than 700 000 Russians in the EU, do you know how many reside in Hungary? Anyone? No? Less than 1% – less than 1%! In the national card scheme in July, Hungary issued a total of five permits to Russian citizens. In August? Five permits. And yet, this is already the second time we're debating this on the European Parliament's agenda – first in the LIBE Committee, now here in the plenary. These are the facts. I'll let you draw the conclusions.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The EU's migration policy is a total failure and has been at risk of terrorism for many years. The people of Europe are paying for this with their blood and their lives. Instead of protection and security, however, they receive only empty promises. How much more blood needs to be shed before the European People's Party and its left-wing allies finally dignify themselves to defend the EU's borders and European citizens? And enough of the lies about solidarity, because instead of solidarity and help, we get trials and punishments. Italy threatens Matteo Salvini with six years in prison. Why is that? Because he defended the Italian borders. Hungary has been fined 200 million euros by the European Court of Justice. Why is that? Because we are protecting the Hungarian and at the same time Schengen borders. The German government, meanwhile, is distributing money to migrant-smuggling NGO ships with one hand and closing its borders with the other, saying it is dangerous. Mrs Faeser, it is not the borders between EU countries that need to be closed! There is only one solution to the migration crisis: We must protect our common external borders, otherwise we will destroy the entire European Union. There is only one solution: protection of external borders.