‘In the longer term, a broader strategic shift is needed. Europe must abandon the illusion of forced uniformity to avoid internal tension within the European Union and the risk of disintegration. The motto of united in diversity should be applied in practice too, to ensure that the level of integration is determined by the conscious and sovereign decisions of the Member States…’

‘Step by step, competences are expanded without Treaty change, hollowing out the very legal framework that created the Union. If powers can be redefined without consent, sovereignty becomes fiction. Integration without sovereignty is not cooperation—it is merely empire-building.’

‘Europe does not simply exist in a vacuum. It is not a technocratic project, but a civilizational community built on clear foundations, foremost among them its Judeo–Christian heritage. European integration must build on these foundations, not dismantle them.’

‘Signs suggest that Brussels is seeking to replicate the “Tusk model” in Hungary by installing a puppet government which serves its own agenda. The aim of the EU leadership is clear: to override the democratic will of the Hungarian people and eliminate our sovereigntist government. If they succeed, Hungary would likely not be the last—one by one, other Member States would surely follow.’

‘Numbers [during the Hungarian EU presidency] represent more than just achievements—they tell the story of a presidency determined to meet the expectations of Europe’s people and shape a better tomorrow for the continent, or as our motto puts it: Make Europe Great Again.’

The German paper Passauer Neuer Presse conducted an interview with EPP President Manfred Weber on the occasion of the informal European Council meeting in Budapest, using the opportunity to prod him on the supposed ‘isolation’ of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán within the EU. Weber was also asked about the impact of the results of the US presidential elections on Europe.

‘Hungarians had hoped that the newly formed European Parliament would finally move past the practice of stigmatizing those whose democratically elected positions differ from the Brussels mainstream. Instead, the Brussels elite decided to welcome the election results with blatant anti-democratic tactics, dismissing the political significance and representation of millions of European citizens…The cordon sanitaire is not just an attack on millions of European voters—it is an assault on European democracy and the rule of law.’