Orbán says Hungary should still seek IMF/EU safety net; augurs hard times ahead for Europe

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview on public radio on Friday that a recent European Commission report that projects Hungary's general government deficit will be under the 3% of GDP threshold next year shows the country can stand firmly on its own feet even without the International Monetary Fund. But he added that Hungary should still continue to seek a financial backstop because of hard times ahead in Europe.
"That's why I'm recommending that Hungary continue to negotiate with the IMF, because difficult times are coming in Europe..., and it would be good for us if we had a safety net," Orbán said on Kossuth Radio's 180 perc program.
Orbán said the new Land Act would be enshrined as a cardinal law, requiring a two-thirds parliamentary majority to approve and amend.
He said he believed the government was not opening up a new front with the European Court. "But we'll see, if we do open a new front, we'll win that battle too," he added.
The new Land Act moves Hungary's farm sector in the direction of restricting big landowners, he explained.
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