After 30 years in the spotlight, he described his four-year “forced break” as “purgatory,” even somewhat “strange.”
But just as Orbán is happy to see Szájer back, Szájer himself is in the mood to talk again, to reveal himself as a talking head on the future of Europe.
With his new think tank he wants to adumbrate an “autonomous” concept of Europe, develop a complex index of sovereignty for EU countries, and draft a charter of the rights of nations. “The federalists can’t reserve the right to call themselves pro-European. At the moment, federalism is the only position of the Brussels mainstream, but it’s possible to create a new Europe based on nations, and we want to be part of the intellectual buzz around it,” he said.
They also want to conquer Brussels with their ideas, but Szájer says he doesn’t return to the city often, although his contacts haven’t disappeared.
Szájer says his reactivation is intended to reassure those who have doubts about him, including conservative voters who were outraged by his scandal — although he has experienced acceptance rather than resentment in Fidesz circles, he says.
In returning, Szájer also hopes that his name will not be “remembered only by the inglorious end,” even if the “orgy” scandal has turned him into a meme and has become a stain on his reputation he will never get rid of.
“I want to prove that I am more than the caricature that has been made of me and that has made me famous, even around the world.”
