Orban about how migrants changed Germany and a critique on EU leadership changes

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who spoke with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday, gave an interview to Hungarian public radio before the meeting. In it, he called the emerging new leadership of the European Union under the re-elected President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, a product of the "coalition for war and migration".

In an interview with a Hungarian state broadcaster, Orbán described that the "increasingly left-wing" coalition of conservatives, social democrats, and liberals, who also have a majority in the new European Parliament, have already agreed on this matter.

Although no agreement was reached on filling the top posts in the EU following the European elections of 9 June at the informal meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels last Monday, Orbán claimed this had already been decided. "A warmongering, anti-business and pro-migration coalition has emerged in the EU," Orbán stated.

In this context, he did not hold back criticism towards Manfred Weber, head of the European People's Party (EPP), the strongest faction in the European Parliament. According to Orbán, Weber played "the role of Beelzebub" - a demon or devil - in forming this coalition. According to Orbán, Weber is "an old enemy and evildoer of Hungary," while von der Leyen is "just a little altar girl" in comparison.

According to Viktor Orbán, the "Weber coalition" would implement the so-called "Soros plan". According to this, the Hungarian-born American billionaire and philanthropist George Soros is trying to flood Europe with migrants to strip European nations of their Christian and national identities.

"A population exchange is taking place in Europe, the white, Christian, tradition-conscious - let's say European - person is becoming fewer, the number of imported migrants is increasing," Orbán continued. Suggesting an unproven "Soros plan" and complaining about an alleged "population exchange" are elements of conspiracy theories propagated by far-right extremists.

Orbán also commented on Germany. He said the country no longer looks the same as it did ten years ago: "[Germany] no longer tastes the same as it used to, it no longer smells the same as it used to, this whole Germany is no longer the Germany that our grandparents and parents used as an example for us."

Now, however, Germany is a "colourful, changed multicultural world," in which migrants "no longer guests...that is a very big change."

Hungary will take over the presidency of the EU Council on 1 July.