Hungary is a follower of ‘economic rationality’, PM’s political director says

Hungary’s competitiveness cannot depend on the European Union, alone, Orban said. He added that the country should continue to avail of the opportunities offered by the EU, in spite of signs of “institutional incapacitation” in Brussels and trade and economic policy that run counter to competitiveness.

Orban said Europe was behind in the terms of innovation and R+D support, while it had produced hardly any of its own global tech companies. He added that the EU’s financing system was “anti-innovation”, supporting purposes that would neither create jobs nor boost competitiveness.

“Either we politicise or we support innovation,” he said, adding that innovation funding needed to be brought closer to universities and research networks “with a better understanding of what is worth supporting than Brussels”.

The EU needs its own defence industry, he said, adding that the bigger goal of a joint EU defence force “doesn’t appear realistic at the moment”.