Navracsics: Generation change steering Europe towards radicalisation

This generation change is steering Europe towards polarisation and radicalisation, Navracsics said in his address prior to the general assembly meeting of the Hungarian Atlantic Council.

The youth today have grown up integrated entirely into a democratic and uniform Europe and are part of an online revolution, he said. “They see the world and the problems differently, which is the first important factor,” the minister said.

Radical parties are coming up in Europe while moderate conservatives are either turning radical or they are becoming weaker, he said. “The messages of liberal parties become more and more radical whereas Christian Democrat has become a synonym of being an opposition force,” Navracsics said, adding that the situation of the Social Democrats “isn’t much better, either”. “Because of this, the disputes are becoming sharper,” he said.

Navracsics said that the Russian-Ukrainian war raised questions concerning Europe’s security. The war’s message, he said, was that “the myth of Europe’s invulnerability has permanently collapsed,” adding that it turned out that mankind had not learnt any lessons from history.

Navracsics called a ceasefire key to stopping the war and giving way to talks to be launched as soon as possible in the interest of brokering a just and fair peace.

“If this war escalates, it will threaten the future of Europe,” the minister said.

The future of Europe also depends on how successful the efforts towards turning it into a cultural community would be. “It is a promise still unfulfilled and explains the internal conflicts within the community; if we understood each other’s culture, it would help spare most of our political disputes,” Navracsics said.