Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave his regular interview on Kossuth Radio, discussing the local birthrate, a new home loan program, the false narrative spread by the opposition party Tisza, and, of course, the need for peace in Ukraine.
Addressing the low fertility rate in Hungary, Orbán said that nowadays people may no longer want offspring, or they simply don’t want to have to worry about the responsibilities involved. There are also those who want children but encounter obstacles and end up running out of time, he said.
The prime minister also pointed to the trend in the West to replace their own offspring with migrants.
“This is the ultimate reason for migration. If you don’t have your own children, you replace them with migrants,” he added. “But we said that if there are obstacles that make it difficult to start a family, we should remove them,” Orbán told listeners.
The Hungarian government’s family-friendly policy is designed to boost fertility and ultimately result in those who have children being financially better off than those who do not.
“We are not there yet, but the situation has roughly leveled out,” he noted.
On the housing front, according to Orbán, the essence of the Hungarian dream is having one’s own home. But interest rates were so high that the government had to intervene, he said, noting that interest payments today can be less than a monthly rent payment.
A home, the prime minister clarified, connects you to your country, and this is the “essence of the middle class,” which is needed for a strong nation.
The government’s 25-year Otthon loan carries no exchange rate risk or interest rate risk. “If someone borrows HUF 20 million, they will save HUF 60,000 per month compared to a market loan,” he explained, adding that this makes it cheaper to get your own apartment.
Noting high interest in the program, he also told listeners that higher amounts can be received by combining this with other subsidies.
He also stressed that this loan has no requirements related to marital status. “Everyone can apply for this,” he said, and use it to purchase both new apartments and existing real estate, although price limits have been implemented (max HUF 100 million for an apartment, max HUF 150 million for a house, max HUF 1.5 million/sqm).
When asked whether there would be enough housing available for those taking out loans, Orbán replied: “Many more homes will be built than before.”
Countering a narrative spread by opposition leader Péter Magyar, the Hungarian PM said there is no basis behind Magyar’s claim that this measure will cause housing prices to increase by 20 percent in a short time.
He also reminded listeners that Tisza Party politician Kinga Kollár had previously said that what is good for the Tisza Party is bad for Hungarians, so based on this, one could even assume that Tisza is actually attacking the program because it is good for Hungarians.
Despite the majority of his airtime being dedicated to Hungary’s new housing loan, Orbán made sure to address the urgency of a ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war. This time, while still pushing for U.S.-Russian talks, he also called for “a Russian-European summit as soon as possible,” to ensure Europe also has a say.
