Socialist MEP turns to top court over migrant quota referendum – UPDATE

Budapest, July 4 (MTI) – Socialist MEP Tibor Szanyi has filed a complaint to the Constitutional Court over the Hungarian supreme court’s decision to greenlight the government-initiated referendum on the European Union’s mandatory migrant quota plan.

Szanyi told a press conference on Monday that the referendum “severely violates” the EU’s sovereignty, as the bloc’s 2007 Lisbon Treaty declares asylum policy a common policy.

The issue also concerns the budget, Szanyi said, arguing that under the quota plan, Hungary would have to pay 79 million forints (EUR 250,000) for every refugee it turns away. This would cost the state a total of 102 billion forints, he said, noting that Hungary would have to take in 1,294 people under the scheme.

He noted that a prior appeal he had submitted to the Constitutional Court against parliament’s approval of the referendum was turned down last month.

Szanyi said he would turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if President János Áder sets the date for the referendum before his complaint is reviewed.

The Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, greenlit the national referendum on May 3 and it was then approved by lawmakers on May 10. A total of four appeals were submitted to the Constitutional Court in connection with the referendum; one against the Kuria’s decision and three against parliament’s. The Constitutional Court rejected all four appeals on June 21. Under the referendum law, the president has to announce the date of the referendum within 15 days of the court’s decision.

Update

István Hollik, MP of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, reacted by saying that Hungary’s left wing had “failed to hear the voice of the people” and accusing it of “working to implement forced settlement plans by Brussels”. The “pro-immigration Socialists support Brussels’ immigration policy, just as George Soros does,” Hollik insisted, referring to the Hungarian-born American financier. It is up to the Hungarian people to decide whom they want to live together with, Hollik said.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI