Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has defended his administration's conservative policies on migration and family support, emphasizing Hungary's stance as a "conservative island" in a "liberal European ocean."

In an interview with Austrian ServusTV, the Hungarian leader claimed his administration's priority of family-friendly policies over immigration is the right solution to declining birth rates as he strives to protect "the Hungarian way of life."

"Unlike many other EU member states, we did not allow people belonging to foreign cultures to enter," Orbán said, contrasting Hungary's stance with countries like Germany and France where immigration is relied upon to address demographic challenges. "We support families, not migration," he added.

The Hungarian prime minister took a firm stance particularly against illegal immigration, emphasizing Hungary's resistance to the influx of people from "foreign cultures — predominantly Islam." He claimed that Hungary's strict migration policies help maintain lower crime rates and prevent social unrest.

"We Hungarians think that the situation will not get better with illegal migration, but only worse. Nobody in Hungary wants illegal migrants to come in; we are on a different path," he told the Austrian broadcaster.

Addressing Europe's economic issues, Orbán described the EU's economy as "suffering from pneumonia," attributing the economic decline to policies decided upon in Brussels which he claimed have led European businesses to face significantly higher energy costs than their American counterparts.

"European companies are forced to pay two to three times the price of electricity and three to four times the price of gas," he said, calling for Europe to adopt a "new energy policy, otherwise companies will be ruined."

Orbán accused the EU leadership of building a culture that marginalizes conservative values, claiming it had instilled a misguided philosophy in which "anyone who is not a liberal cannot be democratic." His criticism reinforced his remarks in the wake of this week's Georgian election lost by the pro-EU opposition parties.