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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has issued a warning that the European Union risks “falling apart” within the next decade unless it undergoes fundamental reform.
In a wide-ranging speech on Sunday, September 7th, the conservative leader said the EU had entered “a state of disintegration and fragmentation” and would be remembered as “a noble attempt with a depressing result” if current trends continue.
He argued that Europe had been poorly led for years, falling behind the United States in economic performance and political influence.
In 2008, the United States accounted for 23% of the global economy and the EU 25%, he said. Today, the U.S. share is 27%, while the EU has slipped to 17.8%.
Orbán claimed the European project faltered because leaders tried to build not just a common market but also a political and monetary union centred on the euro. “Everyone who deals with this question says it is only a matter of time before it cracks, breaks, splits apart,” he said.
He suggested that even if the bloc manages to pass its next long-term budget for 2028–2035, that may be the last one.
To preserve European cooperation, Orbán proposed a sweeping restructuring of the EU into “concentric circles.”
🔶 At the outer ring, countries would cooperate only on defence and energy security—a group he said could include Turkey, the United Kingdom, and even Ukraine.
🔶 A second circle would comprise a common market.
🔶 A third would involve members of the eurozone with joint fiscal policies.
🔶 A fourth and innermost circle would be for states wishing to pursue deeper political union, with binding rules on issues such as gender, migration, and the rule of law.
The Hungarian leader also repeated his criticism of EU financial policies, saying Brussels’ push for “common indebtedness” was an act of desperation aimed at holding the bloc together.
PM Orbán: The EU Risks “Falling Apart”
To preserve European cooperation, the Hungarian PM proposed a sweeping restructuring of the Union into “concentric circles.”