The annual Thursday meeting of the European Council in Brussels held no surprises for me. It was informal, lasted a very long time and brought absolutely no conclusions regarding the statements that we have an interest in cooperation with the United States, that we support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland, and that we must become stronger to be able to resist the consequences of the new American foreign policy. A video conference would have been enough and we could have saved a lot of money.
I'll take the opportunity that one of the topics of the informal discussion was also the war in Ukraine. It is influenced by the unwavering American interest in acquiring Greenland, was pushed into the background. You are well aware that my opinions on the Ukrainian-Russian military conflict are diametrically opposed. However, from a humanitarian point of view, I cannot ignore the suffering of civilians in Ukraine who are exposed to the harsh winter and constant electricity supply disruptions.
Therefore, it is absolutely right that we are helping Ukraine in this area. It is a fact that we in Slovakia are unable to eliminate the catastrophic consequences that the development of the German economy is having on our economy and the European Commission's inability to offer a meaningful plan to strengthen European competitiveness.
On February 12th of this year, we will be holding another informal summit on this topic. However, I am skeptical because I see no interest from the European Commission in doing anything about the soaring electricity prices that are devastating the Slovak and European economies. But that doesn't mean we'll sit idly by and not use domestic and other non-European resources for Slovakia's economic development. Next Thursday, I will have a working bilateral meeting in Paris with French President Macron. The agenda for our discussion will be extensive. I wish you a very pleasant remainder of your Friday and a relaxing weekend.
Sooner or later, Brussels will also have to face the truth. Ukraine is not making us stronger, but weaker. In fact, if this continues, it will destroy the European economy. The Americans have more sense. If Trump had been president in 2022, the war would not have broken out. But the Democrats came and they dragged the Europeans into it. Now they have pulled out in time. Whoever is at war should pay.
Sooner or later, Brussels will also have to face the truth. Ukraine is not making us stronger, but weaker. In fact, if this continues, it will destroy the European economy. The Americans have more sense. If Trump had been president in 2022, the war would not have broken out. But the Democrats came and they dragged the Europeans into it. Now they have pulled out in time. Whoever is at war should pay. This is not the time for experimental lunatics. We live in an age of danger. Only governments that keep their word, are loyal, and experienced can give nations a peaceful, safe, and predictable life. This also means that in the next election, we must not only defeat our political opponents, and if possible, defeat them, but we must actually triumph over lies, frivolity, cynicism, deceit, the idea of submission, and all their domestic representatives.
My friends, the European liberal elite uses the Brussels bureaucracy, European law, and Luxembourg's judges to crush the resistance of rebellious countries. That is why they imposed a daily fine of €1 million on us Hungarians. They thought this was a sum Hungary could not afford. They were wrong. They misjudged Hungarians. They did not know that we belonged to the elite in mathematics. It is easy to calculate that a daily fine of €1 million for the preservation of Christian Hungarian civilization is a much smaller price than the migration costs of turning Hungary into an immigrant country.
The war economy is no joke. The war economy is not childish. The laws of the war economy are ruthless. If you take that path, you will eventually have to sacrifice everything on its altar. And Brussels has decided. The European leaders have decided they will go to war. Historians will write about how Europe drifted into war. I will be at their disposal as an eyewitness. But we must now pay attention to the facts, the ruthless facts of today and tomorrow.
Brussels wants to wage war without having the money to do so. It has already spent €180 billion and is now providing another billion in war loans to Ukraine. We know that the Ukrainians will never repay them. Brussels has also issued its orders. Hungary must join the European war economy. They've put in writing what they demand of Hungary. They demand that we abolish preferential housing loans, the family support schemes, and tax exemptions. We must abolish the 13th and 14th month pensions. Instead of a flat rate income tax, we must introduce a disproportionate, as they call it, progressive tax system. We must abolish tax relief for families, abolish utility price reductions, tax government bond yields, close hospitals, raise corporate taxes, and abolish workers loans. And all this so that they can send our money to Ukraine.
Sooner or later, Brussels will also have to face the truth. Ukraine is not making us stronger, but weaker. In fact, if this continues, it will destroy the European economy. The Americans have more sense. If Trump had been president in 2022, the war would not have broken out. But the Democrats came and they dragged the Europeans into it. Now they have pulled out in time. Whoever is at war should pay.
We have now reached the point where they have signed a written agreement and are ready to send stationed troops on Ukrainian territory. With this European leadership, it is impossible to change course, to pull back, or to turn away from this dead end. Anyone with common sense, and we have it, will not be drawn into this war. Anyone with common sense, and we have it, will not turn their country into a war economy. We will stay out of it and prepare for the election.
The end is already here. All that is left is to run. Run to Brussels. Papa Manfred and Mama Ursula are waiting for you there and she will comfort you. That is enough about our opponent. Let us talk about more serious matters. We must also speak about international politics because the world in which we learned to live, work and develop after 1990 no longer exists. The liberal international order is crumbling before our eyes. President Trump has delivered the coup de grâce. Change brings reordering, uncertainty, and danger. This is what awaits us in the coming years.
