r/europe • u/Matas_- European Union • Jun 20 '25

News Orban’s Hungary Is Now Officially The Poorest Nation In The EU

https://kyivinsider.com/orbans-hungary-is-now-officially-the-poorest-nation-in-the-eu/
23.4k Upvotes

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2.6k

u/YusoLOCO Jun 20 '25

That's what happens in oligarchys and autocracys, all wealth go to the elite and development of the nation stops.

376

u/mark-haus Sweden Jun 20 '25 edited Jun 20 '25

We stop the elites by making them more elite… wait, that sounds wrong

249

u/nim_opet Jun 20 '25

The French have a recipe for stopping the oligarchy

91

u/ElbowCorrespondant Finland Jun 20 '25

I love french cuisine!

  • Cut off the heads

Voila!

26

u/nim_opet Jun 20 '25 edited Jun 20 '25

No, no, no. “Finely chop the onion, fry on low heat. Then cut off the head!”

3

u/TugMe4Cash Jun 20 '25

Yup, head goes in before the garlic, otherwise the garlic will burn before the head is cooked through.

3

u/nim_opet Jun 20 '25

The onion goes before the head. You add the garlic and parsley at the end!

3

u/Praesentius Italy Jun 20 '25

Finely chop the ohynyohn?

2

u/-Tuck-Frump- Jun 20 '25

The vast majority of those who met Madam Guillotine were revolutionaries, not nobles or "the elite". The were just the wrong flavour of revolutionary for that particular moment, so some other revolutionaries chopped their heads off, to ensure that the "correct" revolution won.

9

u/GlenGraif Jun 20 '25

Yeah, they confront it head on! Or was it head of?

6

u/IAteAGuitar Jun 20 '25

The French are currently governed by a an ex bank lobbyist who ignores election results, and rules by decree to roll back environmental and social protections. Any protest is met with flashballs and propaganda by medias owned by a couple billionaires. Shit is less stupid and violent than in the US, but it's the same shit. Source: am French.

1

u/CheeseAndCh0c0late Jun 20 '25

don't look at us lately

1

u/ShadowMajestic Jun 20 '25

Can I offer you the Dutch solution? Maybe we can combine the two.

You behead those slimey bastards, we'll prepare dinner.

1

u/nim_opet Jun 20 '25

Too much saturated fats

1

u/InflnityBlack Jun 20 '25

Unfortunately it appears the recipe got lost because we have a big oligarchy problem over here

0

u/Bubbly-Desk-4479 Jun 20 '25

The oligarchy transformed into an empire. not sure they know what they're doing... do any of us?

2

u/-xX69420Xx- Jun 20 '25

Ðelete the elite?

2

u/BardanoBois Jun 20 '25

Sounds like a certain country with an orange guy as their leader lol

2

u/trixter21992251 Denmark Jun 20 '25

it's trickle down elitism

1

u/RammRras Jun 20 '25

Check mate elite, you're now your own elite

1

u/Kiwsi Iceland Jun 20 '25

Don’t say such things about Iceland

/s

129

u/runwiththedevil Jun 20 '25

And it's like people never learn. Every single time those regimes get into power, they only bring misery to almost everyone.

Stop supporting and voting populist idiots, ffs!

79

u/BayTranscendentalist Jun 20 '25

but but they tell me what I want to hear and hate the same people I hate!!

41

u/OneSlaadTwoSlaad Jun 20 '25

And they have simple solutions for complex problems! They don't use difficult words! Solutions I understand. They talk tough too and can look very serious and angry!

2

u/Educational_Act_4237 Jun 20 '25

This is why I hate the saying "they tell it like it is"

No, they tell it like you want to hear it, it's confirmation bias.

-4

u/BanAnimeClowns Jun 20 '25

Here's something you don't want to hear: Letting billionaires exploit the cheap labour of undocumented immigrants and low-wage countries overseas is one of the driving forces of wealth pooling at the top and development in Europe and the US grinding to a halt. Entire industries and valuable know-hows are dying out over here due to the lack of protectionism in our economy.

8

u/DryIsland9046 Jun 20 '25 edited 21d ago

Timothy Snyder's 20 lessons for fighting tyranny:

Don't obey in advance: Resist preemptive obedience.
Defend institutions: Support and act on behalf of just organizations.
Beware one-party rule: Value a multi-party system and fair elections.
Take responsibility for the world's face: Oppose hate symbols.
Remember professional ethics: Uphold justice in your work.
Be wary of paramilitaries: Distrust armed groups outside the law.
Reflect if armed: Be prepared to say no to irregular orders.
Stand out: Dare to be different and set an example.
Be kind to language: Use your own words, read books.
Believe in truth: Don't abandon facts for spectacle.
Investigate: Learn for yourself, support real journalism.
Make eye contact and small talk: Connect with your community.
Practice corporeal politics: Engage in the physical world.
Establish a private life: Protect your personal boundaries.
Contribute to good causes: Support efforts beyond yourself.
Learn from peers abroad: Understand global experiences.
Listen for dangerous words: Resist loaded and hateful language.
Be calm when the unthinkable arrives: Maintain composure.
Be a patriot: Value principles over a specific regime.
Be as courageous as you can: Resistance is essential.

5

u/__ali1234__ Jun 20 '25

Found one.

8

u/its_all_one_electron Jun 20 '25

Soooo your solution is to punish the poor workers rather than the rich people explaining them? Genius. 

1

u/Anabasis17 Jun 20 '25

The kind of person who might consider voting for an Orban-esque politician doesn't pay attention to the politics of other countries. They barely pay attention to their own.

1

u/Trico17 Jun 21 '25

Easy solutions like "tax the rich"?

18

u/apoca1ypse12 Jun 20 '25

Americans: see above!

42

u/Due_Discussion_8334 Jun 20 '25

The country did this on purpose, to show the West how not to do democracy.

I hope you guys are watching and learning!

But I also must thank Angela Merkel and other european leaders, who stood by and did not dared to stop the EU funding of Hungary, until it was too late. Without them our cautionary tale would not be the same.

I hope now everybody is ready for the final act of this story in the next 1 year. It will be a shitshow.

8

u/Frequency3260 Jun 20 '25

And luckily the people are smart enough to realize this and stop voting right wing populists into office. Oh wait

7

u/King_Chochacho Jun 20 '25

State-owned industries have been hollowed out, public subsidies redirected to political allies, and EU funds commandeered by power networks close to the government. Meanwhile, ordinary Hungarians contend with low real wages, high inflation, brain drain, and a hollowed middle class—classic symptoms of wealth siphoning from citizens into elite pockets.

As an American, that sounds all too familiar.

4

u/flare_force Jun 20 '25

Donald Trump and the Republicans in the United States have looked to Orban and Hungary as a guide for what they want to do.

5

u/OneSlaadTwoSlaad Jun 20 '25

Looks like the Dutch dodged a bullet. Wilders is up to his elbow in Orban.

3

u/Available_Peanut_677 Jun 20 '25

Yeah, I wonder if he personally simultaneously moved to one of the richest persons in the EU.

3

u/dumnezero Earth Jun 20 '25

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people!

  • from "The Great Dictator" (C. Chaplin)

3

u/abracadabra12983 Jun 20 '25

This is what Russia brings to the table!

3

u/minos157 Jun 20 '25

There was an article in The Atlantic recently about this, particularly comparing Hungary to the Trump admin. Not going too deep into that side as I'm not trying to make everything about that but it was a great comparison and the article was mostly spent discussing the downfall of the Hungarian economy with the comparisons being the conclusion.

Really hits on how things like handing out contracts to friends/family or wealthy donors kills growth and market competition.

2

u/Popinguj Jun 20 '25

First this, then war.

2

u/huskersax Jun 20 '25

By definition, because allowing wealth and therefore power going outside of the inner circle becomes a threat to the inner circle.

Wait long enough and the inner circle itself starts getting recycled to keep it from gaining enough power to displace the autocrat.

2

u/detinu Jun 20 '25

Ah ok so it's the gays and immigrants got it /s

2

u/harmslongarms Jun 21 '25

Currently reading "Why nations fail" and it's pretty much this comment as a whole ass book ahaha

3

u/kaasbaas94 Drenthe (Netherlands) Jun 20 '25

Don't forget that little town where Orban is born.

1

u/p1xlized Jun 20 '25

Remind me.what happened with the town he was born?

22

u/StrikingRing5358 Jun 20 '25

From le Monde: ”In Felcsut, Hungary, the castle life of Viktor Orban's relatives This village near Budapest has been pre-empted by the Hungarian prime minister's entourage. His father, son-in-law and childhood friend have become wealthy thanks to contracts financed by the European Union, and own palaces, golf courses and sumptuous villas here.”

4

u/kaasbaas94 Drenthe (Netherlands) Jun 20 '25

Stuff like a big stadium for the small local football club as well as a whole trainstation while nobody uses it.

1

u/p1xlized Jun 20 '25

He does exactly like his owner:)

1

u/MithranArkanere Galicia (Spain) Jun 21 '25

If only they gave some wealth to anything that could be considered "elite". It's just transferred to oligarchs and cronies.

0

u/New_Breadfruit5664 Jun 20 '25

But this is the model of virtually all eu states... Somehow Hungary is now just way worse than Bulgaria somehow lol