Speech by Viktor Orbán at the 21st EPP Congress

Created: 18th October, 2012 23:03 | Last updated: 23rd October, 2012 10:17	print	send

President Martens, distinguished Guests, dear Delegates.

I am a prime minster of a country which two years ago was in a worse shape then Greece at that time. But now what I can report to you is that we succeeded to renew Hungary and to put it on the right track. We have done our homework building up a workfare society. So, as a soldier from the frontline, I could be brave enough to use my five minutes to draw some conclusions of the crisis we are experiencing now.

The first conclusion to draw, my friends, is that crisis can not be managed by the same policies and tools which have caused the crisis itself. What we need is a courage to look for and implement new and innovative – or if you wish so – unorthodox economic policies. The second conclusion to draw my friends is that it is not enough to make decisions in order just to handle the crisis, rather we have to prepare our nations and our community for the future since neither Europe nor the World will be the same as it used to be before the crisis. The third conclusion is that we can not live beyond our limits. It is easy to say, but difficult to do. Reforms, even structural reforms are not enough. We need more. We need renewal and full-fledged reorganization of our societies. Our task is somewhat difficult: we have to improve competitiveness, decrease sovereign debt and maintain social stability in the meantime; therefore the crisis can not be handled by the solutions offered by technocratic management. What we need here is: political management and leadership. As fourth conclusion – of course – we need more Europe. At the same time it is obvious that different countries need different policies.

So, more Europe, but every single country should be allowed to shape its own policy mix, and not just to allow, but to support each other. It is obvious, that the economic success of our competitors also stands from the spiritual driving force. This means, that rationality itself is not enough. We need spiritual background, inspiration in Europe as well. Let’s put it this way: common sense and “sursum corda” is necessary at the same time. We, Christian democrats should not forget about this. Once we have to answer the question why the populist extremist forces are the ones to become stronger during the crisis? Why do not we benefit from it? Why do extremist forces appear to be able to solve the people’s problem, and why the desperate hopeless crisis-hit people don’t believe the same about us?

Dear Friends,

This is exactly the reason why we must not be elitists, bureaucrats and technocrats. We have to be a true people’s party. We have to renew our democratic systems that for this hopeless, crisis-hit people democracy would equal the hope for the better future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are heading towards historic changes. We have to remind ourselves, that opponents, the socialists have always failed on thresholds of historic changes and try to roll back the wheel of history. Had it been up to them, even today the Soviet Union would still exist, Germany would be still split, and there would be no united Europe. We have to make clear that only EPP has been so far able to successfully overcome historic challenges. And this is the case today as well. Only: EPP.

Thank you for your attention.

Text: orbanviktor.hu, Photographer: Barna Burger