Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Pre-agenda Speech on the 11 February 2013.

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, respected colleagues!

The European Council held a session last week. As you know, this is the highest-level meeting of the heads of state and government of member states of the European Union. In accordance with our constitutional traditions, at such times the Prime Minister reports to the House on the results of negotiations. This is especially justified on this occasion as important decisions were made last week in Brussels. A long and difficult series of negotiations were finally concluded. Issues concerning the following seven years of Europe have been decided. Hungary greatest achievement is that it for the next seven years it has occupied the most favourable position possible on the European Union's political and economic chessboard. The world is also beginning to get used to the fact that Hungarians stand up for themselves, and Hungary should finally be treated as an equal party by everyone. In the case of many European nations this is natural and goes without saying, but Hungarian history has not treated us kindly and so an affinity for self-sacrificing adaptation and voluntary subordination still exists today. In any case, during the past two years we have made it clear that we Hungarians are not prepared to accept double standards and expect equal and fair treatment. We show respect, we show it to everyone, but we also expect to receive respect from everyone.

Honourable Members, Mr. Speaker!

The EU summit was the venue of a major success for Hungary. We have not achieved such success since our accession to the European Union in 2004. Hungary has essentially achieved everything it possibly could at the negotiations on the EU budget. Hungary has occupied a respected second place within Europe with regard to per capita EU funding. This means that while during the previous seven years 660 thousand forints in funding was made available per Hungarian citizen, this figure will be 712 thousand per capita in the upcoming seven-year period. This puts us in silver medal position with only a single country receiving more; per capita European Union funding has never been so high in Hungary. And we have succeeded in achieving this when otherwise to total EU budget has decreased as a result of the economic crisis. We have therefore managed to cut a larger slice than before out of a smaller cake. This means that during the next seven years more money will remain in the pockets of Hungarians out of the EU budget than in the previous seven years. What matters is the balance between how much money Hungary pays in to the EU budget and how much it is able to utilize from the budget, and this balance has improved for us. This is an inarguable fact; anyone who states otherwise is not telling the truth. The positive balance of 7 080 billion forints available to Hungary for the period 2014 to 2020 is equivalent to 3.6 percent of the gross national income. In addition, Honourable Members, Ladies and Gentlemen, the previously disputed possibility for VAT settlement will also remain available, and we have succeeded in securing an 85 percent ratio of European Union funding for development projects, which Brussels originally wished to decrease to 75 percent. The two together mean savings of 210 billion forints for the Hungarian budget. Another piece of good news is that Central Hungary is no longer regarded as a disadvantaged region, and we have also succeeded in achieving that the level of funding for the country's four poorest regions will not decrease despite the fact that the original proposal had threatened them with significant cuts in spending. The EU has earmarked an extra 1.5 billion euros to compensate for the undeservedly disadvantaged status of less developed regions.

Honourable Members, Mr. Speaker!

Agriculture is an important springboard for Hungary. Accordingly, the fact that the huge cuts in EU spending will not affect funding for agriculture is an important achievement for us. The French-Polish-Romanian-Hungarian axis worked very successfully to protect agricultural funding. Another smaller, but no less important achievement is that we have succeeded in negotiating 48 million euros in funding to help combat unemployment among young people. The fund provides support in regions where the unemployment rate among people aged 15-24 exceeds 25 percent. This funding provides makes possible the launching of job creation programmes that provide work opportunities for young people.

Honourable Members, Mr. Speaker!

We therefore have reason to rejoice and feel confident, but we must not sit back and relax. What we have managed to achieve through persistence is an opportunity, a financial budget, which Hungary may access and utilize. Much hard work remains here at home to acquire these funds; we must develop programmes, establish an agriculture and determine development objectives that make it possible for these funds to actually reach Hungary. In my view, our most important task is to channel a significant proportion, around 60 percent of this funding in a targeted manner towards the development of the economy and accordingly towards job creation. We must therefore continue our efforts so that the opportunity we have managed to acquire may be transformed into success.

Honourable Members!

This Hungarian success brings with it two important lessons. The first is that only those have honour who stand up for their interests even at the cost of conflicts. We all remember the fact that many had previously encouraged us to stop rocking the boat and not argue with the bigger fish, but instead hide away quietly under the carpet, or else we would find ourselves in difficulties. In 2010 we broke with this mentality, and this current agreement also proves that this is the right path for Hungary. Hungary has finally fared well, and it was able to fare well only because it stood up for itself. During the budget negotiations, Hungary stood determinedly by its standpoint, and the heads of state and government of the European Union acknowledged the efforts of the people of Hungary to decrease debt and the deficit. The other important lesson, Honourable Members, is that success requires allies. Hungary succeeded in finding allies and push through the region's common interests within the framework of a unique European cooperation. The key to success is therefore essentially made up of two elements: courage, with which we stand up for our own interests, and camaraderie, with which we fight side-by-side with our allies for our common interests.

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members!

It is only right that at the end of my comments I say thank you to those government experts and officers who through excellent teamwork and tireless effort created the professional basis for these successful political negotiations. In the name of Hungary I thank you for your works, and thank You for your kind attention.

(Prime Minister's Office)