Deputy group leader of the ruling Fidesz: Brexit a major loss but doesn’t threaten EU, Hungary economies

Budapest, June 25 (MTI) – Britain’s exit from the European Union is a major political loss but it does not put either Hungary or the EU’s economy under threat, Gergely Gulyás, deputy group leader of the ruling Fidesz party, said on Saturday.

Hungary will continue to stand by its position that it does not want to live in a “United States of Europe” but rather in a Europe of nation states, Gulyás told a press conference. The country also wants to make it clear that if the European Commission carries on with its current immigration policy, other member states may react similarly to the way the UK did, he said.

“Central and eastern European member states have so far been successful in shielding themselves from the EC’s attempts to force the settlement of migrants across the bloc,” Gulyas said.

He said holding referendums on individual issues on which member states disagree with the EC was a far more effective way for countries to express their opinions than voting on their memberships. Gulyás noted that Hungary is set to hold a referendum on the EU’s mandatory migrant quota scheme in the autumn.