referendum on migrant quotas

Hungarian Justice Minister welcomes referendum initiative on EU migration politics

Judit Varga Justice Minister

Justice Minister Judit Varga on Friday welcomed an announcement of Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, that he would initiate a referendum on migration later this month.

In a bilingual Facebook post, Varga said “just like Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in his speech [at the 16th Strategic Forum] in Bled a week ago, Barnier also declared that Member States should now get back their legal sovereignty on migration issues so that their sovereign decisions cannot be overtaken by the Court of Justice of the European Union or the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.”

https://www.facebook.com/VargaJuditMinisterofJustice/posts/4767768259908759

“More and more people dare to express their disagreement on EU institutions interfering in the sovereign decisions of Member States,” Varga said.

Hungary has maintained from the “very beginning” that “the resettlement of migrants leads to the cultural self-surrender of Europe”, built a border fence to protect the country and asked Hungarian citizens on their opinion in a domestic referendum, she said.

Referring to the EU, Varga said “later, they launched an attack against us in both cases. Today, on the other hand, more and more people think that Hungary has made the right decision.

In fact, they would all do the same now. We are keen to see future developments,” she added.

Govt spox: Dispute over EU migrant quotas against original spirit of Europe

Agreement among member states in the European Union should abide by the original spirit of the bloc, the government’s spokesman told public radio on Friday.

Zoltán Kovács said the dispute over migrant quotas was unsolvable and attempts to link cohesion funding to the issue were based on a false argument which misled public opinion. The threat to withdraw cohesion funding indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of why the EU came into being, he added.

Instead of using “threats, blackmail and double standards” to force quotas on states, issues on which there is common agreement, such as the need to protect the bloc’s external borders, should be put to the fore, he said.

Photo: MTI

Survey shows international press very critical of Hungary

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Budapest, February 9 (MTI) – A survey by the Nézőpont Institute showed that 60 percent of reports about Hungary in the German press were critical in 2016, an unprecedentedly high figure compared with the institute’s earlier surveys.

Nézőpont analyst Dániel Deák presented the survey assessing Hungary’s image in the international press at a conference in Budapest.

A total of 13,000 reports in the printed and online media of 18 countries were assessed. Unlike in the previous year, when intensive media attention on Hungary focused on the migrant crisis, last year saw a shift towards the growing international role of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Deák said.

Most reports on Hungary in the international press were published in the period surrounding Hungary’s referendum on European Union migrant quotas, he added.

Only 3 percent of international press reports concerning Hungary were favourable, 68 percent were neutral and 29 percent were critical, he said.

The highest number of reports about Hungary were published in Germany, followed by Austria and Slovakia. Coverage was the most positive in Serbia, Israel and Slovenia and among all the media assessed, Italy’s La Repubblica was the most supportive of Hungary.

The German papers most critical of Hungary rejected the country’s migrant policy and slammed the referendum on migrant quotas. Some 78 percent of the German media criticised Hungary for the quota referendum as against an average 37 percent of the press in all the countries assessed. Deak said that among the German papers, Die Tageszeitung and Suddeutsche Zeitung were the most critical of Hungary.

The Italian and French press were also highly critical, with 50 and 51 percent of reports, respectively, expressing a negative view. The Russian press published the lowest proportion of critical reports about Hungary at 6 percent, he added.

Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács told the conference that the German press was being used for political purposes and they applied double standards against Orbán, who had been under attack despite most of his proposals on Schengen’s renewal having been endorsed by the EU.

Kovacs said that contrary to Nézőpont’s assessment, he had the impression that last year’s international press coverage about Hungary was more moderate. A large part of the criticism was directed at the government’s earlier conflicts and not its 2016 policies. Kovács said the cabinet has been rightfully persistent about its position without which it would not be able to fulfil its goals.

Adam LeBor, Hungarian correspondent for The Economist and Newsweek, told a panel discussion that the current uncertain global political situation and the EU’s crisis gave a chance for Hungary to increase its influence despite its small size. When it comes to the treatment of migrants, however, he said Hungary should not forget the shelter many countries gave to Hungarians forced to emigrate, he added.

Kovács said in response that comparing the Hungarians who fled the country during WW2 or after the anti-Soviet uprising of 1956 with the migrants arriving in Europe today was a “great historical error”. The Hungarian prime minister was able to draw the necessary conclusions about the migrant crisis much earlier than others despite having access to the same information, Kovács added.

Boris Kalnoky, a journalist for Die Welt, said that Orbán’s position on migrant policy was indeed opinion-shaping and has become consensual. However, it should not be forgotten that Germany’s interests are different from Hungary’s, he added. Had Angela Merkel been Hungary’s prime minister, she would have had a fence built on the border, too, but the German chancellor had to keep in mind that an annual 300,000 people are missing from the German labour market, Kalnoky said.

EU leaders summit – Orbán: Plans of refugee camps outside EU gaining support

Brussels, December 15 (MTI) – The plan to set up refugee camps outside the territory of the European Union is gradually gaining support, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told the press ahead of the EU leaders summit on Thursday.
“It is not backed by a majority as yet, but events are progressing in that direction,” he said.

He said a trend was emerging whereby “formerly excommunicated, despised, scorned and detested positions slowly develop into a consensus and the people promoting them are welcomed as respected partners.” In connection with the Hungarian proposal to transport migrants rescued from sea back to where they came from, he said it appeared that progress would be made “in the direction of common sense”.

In the past EU leaders had been only willing to discuss “the humanitarian conditions under which refugees are allowed entry”, and the policy of protecting the EU’s external borders was “banned”, Orbán said. This has now changed, he added.

 

Commenting on quotas for the redistribution of migrants, he said no allowances would be made. What German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants is not something Hungarians want, he said.

The position of those who allowed masses of “mostly economic migrants” into Europe and now want to distribute them “to spread the trouble around” is not an appealing one, Orbán said. Moreover, fully 3.3 million people voted in Hungary’s October plebiscite to say that “no one other than the Hungarian people should be making decisions about who can live in Hungary.”

Orbán said another encroaching issue is an EU plan to introduce rules that would “prohibit countries from centrally regulating energy prices”, and this would put the brakes on the government’s scheme to cut public utility bills. “This would have a fundamental influence on the Hungarian people — on poor people even more than on the more well-off — so it is a point of honour that we must persevere and not make any allowances,” Orbán said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said the EU’s policy in connection with Ukraine’s visa status is “morally unacceptable”. Visa-free status has not been allowed even though the Ukrainians have met all conditions, he said.

Photo: MTI

Fidesz-Christian Democrats ask Orbán to veto migrant quotas at EU summit

Budapest, December 15 (MTI) – The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrats asked Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to represent the position of fully rejecting the European Union quota for the mandatory settlement of migrants at Thursday’s EU summit.

If there is an attempt to “forcefully” implement the mandatory quotas, the ruling parties asked Orbán to veto this at the summit, Fidesz communications director Balázs Hidvéghi told a press conference held jointly with Fidesz spokesman János Halász.

“There is still a large pressure on Hungary from the EU to give up its position and accept the plan for mandatory settlement,” Hidvéghi said. There are some “serious signs” showing that “pro-migrant forces” want to push the mandatory quotas through the EU decision-making process, he added.

Orbán plans to veto mandatory migrant quotas?

hungary eu flag

Budapest, December 15 (MTI) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán prepares for vetoing the mandatory migrant quotas at the upcoming EU summit meeting, state secretary of government communication Bence Tuzson told the daily Magyar Idők on Thursday.

“After the referendum, we have no other option. If there can be a veto, we will veto [the decision],” he said.

“However, the European bureaucrats led by the [European] Commission . may circumvent the prime ministers and parliaments elected by the public, for instance by enforcing through the European Parliament the mandatory settlement of migrants. If migration is defined as an issue concerning internal security, the Commission may submit it to the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which makes decisions with a simple majority,” Tuzson said.

The state secretary said that Brussels should listen to the voice of the public.

“It becomes increasingly evident in both Hungary and the other states that the policy of the European and western elite goes against the public will,” he said.

Asked about corruption charges against government members, Tuzson said that “if a country makes political and economic achievements, the opposition tries to discredit those who have a major share in making the country stronger.”

Concerning ongoing investigations, he said that “those who are found to be corrupt have no place in the governing parties. All cases where suspicion arises should be investigated by the authorities.”

Hungarian government: fierce EU debate expected over migrant quotas

Budapest, November 17 (MTI) – Government office chief János Lázár has said European Union member states were likely to have a fierce debate over whether the bloc should adopt a mandatory migrant quota scheme or a more flexible one proposed by EU President Slovakia recently.

Hungary rejects the mandatory scheme proposed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Lázár noted at a weekly government news conference on Thursday. At present, however, a majority of EU member states are in favour of mandatory quotas, he said.

Lázár said that Hungary’s national consultation and referendum on migrant quotas were important elements in rejecting the commission’s scheme, adding, however, that a constitutional amendment would have made Hungary’s position on the matter even bolder.

Hungary’s parliament last week failed to pass a constitutional amendment bill that would have banned the resettlement of foreign nationals in the country.

Lázár also said Hungary was prepared to review the EU’s cohesion policy, adding, however, that “attempts to put pressure” on Hungary by threatening to strip the country of cohesion funds had weakened since the US presidential election.

Hungary’s access to these funds is not based on solidarity but on economic cooperation, Lázár said, noting that Hungary had waived several of its rights upon its EU accession in 2004.

In view of uncertainties around the EU-Turkey agreement, border control has gained in importance, and reinforcing borders along the Balkan route of migrants has become a matter of consensus, he said.

He said the government had expressed regret over Austria reinstating a border checkpoint at Hegyeshalom. He added that the two countries’ authorities are in permanent touch so that the measure should not hinder the daily border crossing of Hungarian commuters.

Lázár revealed that Hungary and Serbia would hold a joint government meeting on Monday in which illegal migration will be one of the main topics of discussion.

The government approved that the armed forces should employ 1,400 new NCOs. In December the defence minister will put forward a draft plan for armed forces development in the period 2018-2028, he said.

In response to a question, Lázár said that the activity of paramilitary organisations had witnessed an upswing during the period 2006-2010 with support from the Jobbik party. The then government shared some responsibility for that tendency, he insisted. Ever since the government restored the state monopoly over law enforcement in 2010, these organisations have not posed a challenge to national security and they lack mass support, Lázár said.

Photo: MTI

Jobbik resubmits the constitutional bill

It was exactly seven months ago, on April 12, 2016 when Jobbik first tried to protect Hungary from the mandatory migrant allocation quota by amending the Constitution. Back then, the party’s motion was turned down by 125 traitorous Fidesz MPs in the National Assembly. The patriotic opposition party will now try to convince the Parliamentary majority to come to their senses and resubmit the bill to the House.

“Not obtainable for payment”

According to Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet, the patriotic opposition party is going to resubmit Viktor Orbán’s Constitutional bill, with the addition of a single sentence to it. In order to provide a Constitutional guarantee for the withdrawal of residency bonds traded through offshore companies related to Minister Rogán, Jobbik will complement the text of the bill with a sentence stating that Hungarian residency permits are “not obtainable for payment” by foreign citizens.

Viktor won’t let it happen

In the spring of 2016, the government parties did not feel pressed enough to ensure Hungary’s Constitutional protection; so much so that György Rubovszky, the Christian Democratic Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Justice was actively delaying the procedure to prevent Jobbik’s motion from being put on the agenda.

He did so in full knowledge of the fact that his action violated House Rules. Back then, Fidesz’ Parliamentary faction leader Lajos Kósa was not quite upset about the delay; he did not call Rubovszky a traitor for threatening Hungary’s security for partisan reasons.

Over a month later, while the government was already running its anti-migration campaign on Minister Rogán’s neighbour’s billboards, the House once again voted on Jobbik’s Constitutional bill on May 24. The result was devastating. Voting alongside Ágnes Vadai (Democratic Coalition), Gábor Fodor (Liberals) and Tímea Szabó (Dialogue), 125 Fidesz and Christian Democratic MPs swept the anti-immigration Constitutional bill off the table. Thus likely posing a risk to Hungary’s security for partisan reasons.

Since then, we have learnt that dirty money is at least as important for Fidesz as their clinging to power. Consequently, PM Orbán refused to give up the residency bond scheme in return for being able to protect Hungary from all forms of immigration by way of a Constitutional amendment. Will there be 125 government MPs again to block the Constitutional amendment?

Photo: MTI

BREAKING NEWS – Constitutional bill about migrant qouta fails in the Hungarian parliament – UPDATE

Budapest, November 8 (MTI) – The government’s constitutional amendment bill seeking to ban the settlement of “foreign populations” in Hungary failed on Tuesday to secure the necessary two-thirds of votes in the Hungarian parliament.

The amendment submitted by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was intended to legally embed the result of the Oct. 2 plebiscite in which almost 3.3 million Hungarians voted to reject EU quotas. The referendum was in response to a European Union migrant quota agreed in 2015 on resettling 160,000 migrants across the bloc. Hungary was set to receive 1,294 migrants. The government said its move was to prevent any future resettlements.

Fidesz MPs in the Hungarian Parliament
Fidesz MPs in the Hungarian Parliament

Today’s vote went 131 in favour and 3 against with the rest of lawmakers abstaining and the government fell short of the 133 votes needed for the amendment to pass.

Most left-wing lawmakers and Jobbik MPs abstained.

Jobbik had tied its willingness to vote for the government’s proposed constitutional amendment to the government’s willingness to scrap residency bonds, which, insisted Jobbik, is a corrupt scheme that threatens national security. The government insisted that the two issues were unconnected.

The Socialists and the green opposition LMP had earlier stated that they would abstain from voting.

Socialist and Jobbik lawmakers held up banners in parliament in protest against Tuesday’s vote. Jobbik’s banner stated: “Those who let in terrorists for money are traitors”.

"Those who let in terrorists for money are traitors"
“Those who let in terrorists for money are traitors”

Referring to recent press reports concerning a Fidesz official who had travelled by helicopter, the Socialists’ banners showed an image of a helicopter with a red line crossed through.

UPDATE

Jobbik leader Gábor Vona said his party’s lawmakers were ready to support the constitutional amendment if the residency bond scheme were cancelled. Vona told a press conference that the residency bonds should be scrapped and the offices selling them closed. Presenting three proposals on fighting terrorism, he said that Jobbik also demands the conclusion a case concerning Saudi businessmen Ghaith Pharaon, who is on an FBI wanted list for supporting terrorism and assisting illegal immigration. He had freely entered Hungary in 2015. Vona added that Jobbik proposes five-party consultations on these issues to be held on Friday.

Commenting on Tuesday’s vote, he said “for Fidesz, it is not the protection of the country that’s important, but the loot.”

Fidesz parliamentary group leader Lajos Kósa said the vote had made it clear that Hungary “can only rely on Fidesz and the [co-ruling] Christian Democrats” in the country’s “battle” against migrant quotas. He said it had also become clear that both the Socialists and opposition Jobbik had “deceived the people”, arguing that both parties had earlier expressed support for a constitutional amendment.

Opposition LMP parliamentary group leader Erzsébet Schmuck said her party “rejects accusations that people who have not walked into the Fidesz’s trap are traitors”. LMP did not take part in the vote because the proposed amendment was just a tool in the referendum campaign rather than a decision by lawmakers on the unlimited immigration quota, Schmuck said.

Democratic Coalition (DK) deputy chairman László Varju said Orbán had got “two slaps in the face” in a single month: the Oct. 2 quota referendum suggested that Hungarians had rejected his policies and lawmakers in Tuesday’s parliamentary vote expressed a similar view.

“Citing an invalid referendum, the prime minister tried to change the constitution without the authority to do so, but he was not successful,” he said.

Opposition party Együtt said Orbán should now focus “on the country’s real problems” after today’s vote. “The time has now come for Fidesz to give up dividing the country and its hateful campaign of hate and instead deal with the tragic situation in education and health care,” the party said in a statement.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian foreign minister: ‘Still threat’ of EU migrant quotas, constitutional amendment needed

hungary eu flag

Budapest, November 6 (MTI) – The “threat” of European Union migrant quotas “has not gone away” and the issue again will be on the agenda of a meeting of the European Council on Dec. 20-21, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in a public radio interview on Sunday. “This is why amending the constitution is important,” he said.

The government continues to insist that “there cannot be binding quotas”, the minister said. The EU will experience a “massive struggle if they try to force this down our throats at any price,” he said, adding that “the country should be defended” by amending the fundamental law.

“It will become apparent on November 8 who and who doesn’t want to defend Hungary,” he said.

Szijjártó said that certain organisations condemned Hungary because the government had sought the opinion of ordinary Hungarians in a plebiscite concerning an issue “that will fundamentally determine” the future of Hungary and the EU. “There isn’t a more democratic tool than a referendum, but it is not democratic that certain international organisations try to interfere in Hungary’s internal political business,” Szijjártó said.

At the same time, the Netherlands held a plebiscite on the free-trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU and “they had no problem with that”, he said.

There is much hypocrisy in Europe, the minister insisted. “Talking about Hungary, they say a referendum was used to block a common European cause … but the deliberate ruination of Europe is not a common cause,” he said.

Szijjártó said that a “serious campaign of lies” had been launched against Hungary in the past few years, and accusations against the country were based on lies. All this must be rejected in the strongest terms, he added.

On the subject of Hungary’s newly acquired seat on the UN Human Rights Council, he said its achievement was unparalleled, and an opinion ought to be given on this feat instead.

Szijjártó said that Hungary had not sealed off its border and it was possible to get into the country by respecting the regulations. Rather, the country has closed off its “green border”, which is the external Schengen border, he said. No one can expect Hungary to “look at the country’s borders idly and thereby violate its sovereignty,” the minister insisted.

Hungarian parliament to vote on constitutional amendment on Nov. 8

Budapest, November 3 (MTI) – Parliament will vote on the seventh amendment of the constitution on November 8, with a view to preventing the European Union from the “forced settlement” of migrants in Hungary without a limit, the head of parliament’s legislative committee said on Thursday.

The ruling parties consider the amendment a national issue that should not be affected by party interests, Gergely Gulyás, of the ruling Fidesz, told a press conference. If the proposal fails to get sufficient support, it will show that the parties are unable to look farther than their political interests, he added.

Gulyás rejected radical nationalist Jobbik’s “blackmail” concerning their demand for the government to cancel the residency bond scheme as a precondition for the party’s support for the constitutional bill. Regardless of who is right in the residency bond issue, it cannot be linked to the amendment, he added.

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Gulyás expressed hope that lawmakers of Jobbik, the green opposition LMP and some of the opposition Socialists will also vote for amending the constitution.

Photo: MTI

Orbán: Constitutional amendment ‘national cause’

Budapest, October 28 (MTI) – The issue of amending the constitution in light of the Oct. 2 referendum on EU migrant quotas is a national one and has nothing to do with party politics or economic matters, the prime minister said in a radio interview on Friday.

Viktor Orbán told public radio that more than 3 million Hungarians had given their opinion rejecting migrant quotas and that this outcome formed the basis for amending the constitution. “This is not connected with any other matter,” he insisted.

The Jobbik party insists that the government will only have its support to change the constitution if the residency bond scheme is scrapped. A two-thirds majority is needed to change the constitution.

Orbán said the ruling parties could not accept Jobbik’s demand.

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“You have to take into account that you cannot boss 3.3 million people around,” he said.

He vowed to submit the amendment bill to parliament “and it is up to everyone’s conscience what decision they make.”

Orban confirmed that work is ongoing to reassess the country’s financial conditions and it was possible that after a review of how the country should be financed, the economy minister, in light of the results, would submit a bill to parliament that includes the fate of the residency bonds. Economy Minister Mihály Varga will submit his proposal to the government by the end of this year, he added.

He said in 2012 Hungary had had no direct access to the markets and “parties standing against us” managed to make it increasingly difficult for the government to access financial resources. This is why the residency bond scheme was devised and “it was a very successful solution”, he added.

Commenting on last week’s European Union summit, he said a stalemate had emerged because the quota proposal was still on the table. “We are constantly vetoeing it.” In order to resolve this situation, the Slovak EU presidency must be ready with a proposal by December, Orbán said.

A good scenario will develop if the mandatory quotas are removed, but if the stalemate remains and the big states continue “wanting to shove down our throats the mandatory quotas”, then Hungary will resist; it will refuse to carry out the decision and take the European Commission to court. “There will be a big battle. And we need the constitution for that,” he added.

Orbán said that he always addresses the debates on migrant affairs in Brussels because “after all … I have launched a new politics that deviates from commonly agreed norms…”

 

On the topic of recent critical remarks by Matteo Renzi, Italy’s prime minister, Orbán said Italian politics is a difficult territory and Italy has budgetary problems too. He said a huge number of migrants were burdening the country and so Renzi had “good reason to be uptight”. But at the same time, he said Italy was duty bound to stick to the terms of the Schengen agreement but it was failing to do so. “Though this is hard, it is not impossible,” he added.

Europe is not giving Italy the appropriate help either, Orbán said.

Orbán said the EU’s Frontex border agency was not a border guard that set out to stop migration but an organisation that helped to speed up lawful entry into the EU.

This goes to show that there is no agreement between European countries in their policy goals, the prime minister said. Hungary, in light of its referendum on EU migrant quotas, believes that illegal entry of migrants must be stopped, while Brussels and leaders of other EU member states, including Italy, “want to manage, regulate and make the migration process acceptable.”

Asked about reports concerning the extension of EU internal border controls, Orbán said this would be bad for Hungary. Hungary’s interest lies in open internal borders, and Italy and Greece protecting the external border, he added. One factor with internal border controls is that commuting between Austria and Hungary mean there are “unnecessary obstacles . due to the Austrians”.

Orbán noted that Hungary had so far spent more than 150 billion forints (EUR 490m) on border protection. “We will no longer tolerate the assertion that Hungary is not a country of solidarity,” he said.

Photo: MTI

Three party groups agree on constitutional amendment bill text

Budapest, October 26 (MTI) – Fidesz, its ruling ally Christian Democrats and opposition Jobbik have agreed on the text of the constitutional amendment bill, though some “political issues are still outstanding”, Fidesz group leader Lajos Kósa said after four-party talks on Wednesday.
The green opposition LMP said it would decide later on whether to support the amendment, Kósa added.

Kósa said the text of the constitutional amendment bill “is the result of compromise and incorporates everybody’s proposals”. Only some political issues remain and these will be resolved at meetings between the party groups, he added.

The Jobbik party earlier said that cancelling the scheme would be the precondition for its support to the constitutional amendment.

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Fidesz, however, maintains the two issues are not linked and the residency bond scheme is only a financing issue, Kósa added.

Government’s regular press briefing – Defence of southern border, new Budapest hospital, constitutional amendment

The government has decided to award 29.4 forints (EUR 96m) of supplementary funding to the interior ministry for the protection of the Serbia-Hungary border, the government office chief said on Thursday. The aim of the government is to convince Hungary’s parliamentary parties that the amendment of the constitution is “indispensable for protecting Hungary’s borders”, János Lázár said. There are no grounds to fear that the European Union will suspend payments to Hungary.

Interior ministry to receive extra financing for defence of southern border

Lázár told a regular government news briefing that the handling of illegal migration on the southern border in the past year and a half had cost over 100 billion forints.

On other topics, Lázár said that at the initiative of Semmelweis University, which is Hungary’s primary medical training centre, a new medical centre for children would be established, among other health-related developments.

On the subject of public administration, Lázár said that in the next 3 years, 250 billion forints would be channelled towards revamping the civil service, and 45 related laws would be amended with the aim of reducing red tape.

Constitutional amendment ‘indispensable’ 

Lázár told a regular government news briefing that the prime minister had consulted on the matter with the leader of the Socialist Party and that he would hold talks next week with the leader of Jobbik.

Lázár said taking into consideration consultations that have already taken place, it was likely that the amendment proposal would have the parliamentary majority required for it to pass. He noted that parliament is scheduled to start debating the proposal next Monday and is expected to vote on it on either the first or the second week of November.

Socialist Party leader Gyula Molnár later said in a statement that he would not meet the prime minister. Molnar confirmed that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had reached out to him to set up a meeting on the amendment proposal.

Molnár said he would be willing to meet Orbán if the prime minister wanted to discuss security policy matters concerning Hungary, the future of the EU or the “restoration” of the rule of law and the freedom of the press in Hungary.

On the topic of next week’s session of the European Council, Lázár said that the political goal of Hungary is to block binding migrant quotas, and that it is expected that the council’s members would confirm their standpoint that the quota can only be voluntary. He noted that on Thursday evening he is set to meet Austrian Chancellery Minister Thomas Drozda in Vienna in advance of the European Council session.

The Hungarian government supports Germany’s efforts to try to curb illegal migration into the EU through the migration deals the bloc has signed with Turkey and certain African countries, Lázár said. But Hungary also believes these agreements are no reason for the EU to give up on protecting its external borders, he added. Lázár also said he thought the EU had so far done “ridiculously little” to protect the external borders.

Lázár also commented on a recent editorial by The New York Times about Hungary’s migrant quota referendum, in which the paper’s editorial board said that “[Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán and other nationalists who are rejecting the liberal values of tolerance and free movement … risk stirring animosities that less than a century ago led the Continent into world war.” The government office chief said it was “obviously crazy” of the NYT “to imply that the Hungarian government is a Nazi government”.

Commenting on recent remarks by certain European politicians who have suggested that the EU should suspend funding for Hungary, Lázár said that the EU’s founding treaty did not allow any way for a member state to be stripped of its rights to cohesion funds. If cohesion funds were to be suspended, Hungary would have to protect its economy, he said. But Lázár insisted that fears of Hungary having its EU funds suspended were unfounded. He added, at the same time, that there was always a possibility that “political decisions” could be made against Hungary, but he insisted that such decisions would penalise the Hungarian people and not the government. Lázár said he would travel to Brussels next Wednesday to clear up the situation around EU funding for Hungary.

Lázár said Hungary was entitled to 8.9 trillion forints (EUR 29.1bn) in EU money in the current budgetary period, adding that tenders have already been called for 6.391 trillion forints, or 71 percent of the funds. The government aims to call tenders for the remaining funds before the year is out, he added.

Asked about the investigation into recent reports of organised criminals obtaining large quantities of SIM cards in Hungary which are believed to have ended up in the hands of terrorists, Lázár said the Constitutional Protection Office was in contact with telecommunications service providers and was examining whether the system of distributing SIMs needed to be changed. The matter will also be on the agenda in next Wednesday’s session of parliament’s national security committee, he added.

Lázár said he had offered to brief the national security committee about Hungarian-American financier George Soros’ influence in central Europe and the methods with which he said Soros attempts to “change” countries and influence policymakers.

Fears over suspension of EU funds ‘unfounded’

János Lázár told a regular government news briefing that he would be travelling to Brussels next Wednesday to clarify the situation.

He said that Hungary had received 8,900 billion forints in the current EU financial period and that 65-70 percent of this funding had been put out to tender. He added that this year, the government’s intention was to tap the entire amount.

Hungary stands in first place among the Visegrad Group of countries when it comes to EU funding amounts, while it is in 6th place in the bloc as a whole, Lázár noted.

New Budapest hospital to be built near Kelenföld station

The government has decided that the capital city’s new south-Buda super-hospital should be built near Kelenföld railway station, the government office chief said. Lázár told that the new facility would have over 1,000 beds. The decision over its location took into consideration the proximity to the M1 and M7 motorways as well as the metro and bus junctions nearby.

The human resources ministry is assessing two plots and talks have already begun with the owners. An 8-10 hectare site will be needed and the building will have total floor space of 100,000 square metres. It will be the government’s most significant health development project in Budapest, Lázár said.

He also said that at the request of the prime minister, the human resources ministry will give junior doctors a fairer wage deal following September’s general pay rise.

Commenting on a new law amendment concerning tax secrecy, he said just as the optional recipient of 1 percent of each taxpayer’s personal income tax is kept a secret, which sport clubs get donations from the corporate tax of companies should also be a tax secret.

Meanwhile, Lázár said Hungary is ready to offer help to Ukraine to address the financing problems associated with mandatory vaccinations. Some residents in western Ukraine have not received the jabs.

In response to a question about the suspension of daily Népszabadság, he said the government had not discussed the issue, since neither the paper’s staff nor the publisher had asked the cabinet for its help. Commenting on speculation that the suspension was political rather than for financial reasons, he said questions should be directed to the publisher.

“We received two-thirds support in 2010 and in 2014 with Népszabadság exercising its blessed activities, so why would it be in our interest to stop them?”

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The will of the government or the party is not decisive in this case; the fate of a paper depends on its subscribers and paying readers. If there is need for the spirit that Népszabadság represented, then it will continue, he said, adding that in any event its employees should be given fair treatment.

In response to a question about press reports claiming that central bank governor György Matolcsy lived in a residence owned by the head of the Hungarian Banking Association Mihály Patai, he said it would be wrong for the government to comment on issues concerning the central bank. He added, however, that the Banking Associaiton should be more careful.

In response to a question about the planned revamp of the third metro line, he said the government considered it a priority issue and the city council should decide whether it is necessary to revamp the carriages only or the stops as well.

“We will finance whatever the capital decides to do.” He voiced hope that Mayor István Tarlős would not draw the conclusion from disputes with various ministries that they wanted to hinder the project.

Photo: MTI

Lefitst DK leader informs EU diplomats about referendum, constitutional amendment

hungary eu flag

Budapest (MTI) – Ferenc Gyurcsány, leader of the leftist Democratic Coalition (DK), on Wednesday informed the EU countries’ diplomats accredited to Hungary about the recent EU migrant quota referendum and the government’s constitutional amendment proposal.

Gyurcsány said he had invited the ambassadors and other diplomats to the meeting to “mitigate the damage” Hungary’s prime minister had caused to the nation with the referendum.

With the October 2 referendum, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán failed to achieve his “obvious”, yet “publicly undeclared” objective to become leader of the Euro-skeptic, anti-elite, increasingly radical Right in Europe, Gyurcsány told a press conference after the meeting in Parliament.

Further, despite his attempt to declare the referendum a “great success”, Orbán failed to appear before Hungary’s general public as “a unifier of the nation”, Gyurcsány said.

The DK leader reiterated that Orbán should change his policies as it became clear that the government cannot enforce Hungary’s interests effectively in Europe if it puts migration into the focus.

Gyurcsány called the proposed amendment to the constitution “unsuitable” for giving Hungary more protection. It carries the risk, however, that the government, referring to constitutional identity, will launch “a new war on a number of European issues”, he said.

Ruling Fidesz in response said that Gyurcsány is running a “diplomacy campaign” in support of a mandatory relocation of migrants under EU quotas.

Gyurcsány, similarly to Brussels, “has lost contact” with the voters, Fidesz said, adding that Hungarian people did not vote against the migrants or the European Union in the referendum, but instead stood by their country and Europe as a whole.

Ruling parties expect compromise will lead to amended constitution

Budapest, October 12 (MTI) – A compromise can be achieved to secure the two-thirds majority support required for the planned constitutional amendment to block the application of European Union migrant quotas in Hungary, ruling Fidesz group leader Lajos Kósa said on Wednesday.

Kósa told public channel M1 that Tuesday’s consultations between Fidesz and its governing ally, the Christian Democrats, as well as opposition Jobbik had resulted in an understanding that changes would be necessary to the original amendment proposal in respect of several technical details.

 

Additionally, there was a difference of opinion on one substantial issue. Jobbik proposed that the legislation against the quota that parliament is expected to pass in line with the constitution should be a two-thirds law rather than a simple-majority one, Kósa said.

He said further consultations are planned between the parties as well as one-to-one meetings between the parliamentary party leaders. The parliamentary debate is planned to be held next week.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced after the Oct. 2 referendum on migrant quotas that he would propose a constitutional amendment “to incorporate the will of the people into the fundamental law”. He submitted the proposal to parliament on Monday.

The opposition LMP party’s parliamentary leader, Erzsébet Schmuck, said on Wednesday that LMP had not yet decided whether to vote in favour of the constitutional amendment. She confirmed that the party would not take part in any consultations on amending the constitution, and she criticised the “chaotic” preparations.

Csaba Dömötör, cabinet parliamentary state secretary, told MTI that he “regretted” that the left wing had not participated in consultations on amending the constitution.

“This means that the Socialists and LMP continue to put the matter of Brussels quotas beneath party-political considerations,” he said.

He added that their stance contrasts with the “unambiguous outcome” of the referendum in which “a new national consensus has emerged for the sake of Hungary…”

Photo: MTI

Here are the results of referendum on EU migrant quotas

Elections 2018: 250 registered parties

Budapest (MTI) – The National Election Committee on Tuesday established with an unanimous decision the results of the Oct 2 referendum on European Union migrant quotas.

Of the 8,272,625 eligible voters, a total 3,646,334 cast their votes, including 3,506,618 at polling stations, 9,360 in Hungary’s foreign representative offices and 130,356 by mail. Turnout was 43.91 percent in polling stations, 83.34 percent in foreign representative offices and 47.47 percent by mail.

Of the 3,643,055 voting slips submitted, 224,668 or 6.17 percent were invalid. Of the 3,418,387 valid votes, 56,163 or 1.64 percent were ‘yes’ votes and 3,362,224 or 98.36 percent were ‘no’ votes.

The election committee’s decision is not final, appeals can be submitted to the Kuria or supreme court within five days.

In the referendum, Hungary’s voters were asked: “Do you want to allow the European Union to mandate the resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of parliament?”

Under Hungary’s referendum law, a referendum is valid if voter turnout is over 50 percent. It is considered conclusive if more than half of the valid votes are cast for the same answer.

Photo: MTI

Ruling parties, Jobbik reach agreement on constitutional amendment proposal

Budapest, October 11 (MTI) – The ruling Fidesz and KDNP parties and opposition Jobbik came to an agreement on the government’s constitutional amendment proposal in connection with European Union migrant quotas at a meeting on Tuesday.

The proposal was submitted to parliament by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Monday.

 

The Socialists and green opposition LMP stayed away from the event which was convened by Fidesz parliamentary group leader Lajos Kósa as a five-party meeting to discuss the constitutional amendment proposal.

Kósa said after the meeting that the three parties agreed that only the Hungarian parliament should have a right to determine the rules governing how non-Hungarian and non-EU citizens can enter and live in Hungary, and that only Hungarian authorities can rule on asylum requests from third-country nationals.

Kósa said technical questions that may arise in connection with the amendment did not concern the debate on the proposal, adding that it seemed likely that parliament would be able to pass the amendment.

He explained that talks on the proposal were ongoing on two levels: alongside the talks among the parliamentary parties, the prime minister is conducting his own series of talks with the other party leaders.

Kósa criticised the Socialists for sitting out the meeting, saying that Socialist leader Gyula Molnár and group leader Bertalan Tóth had made contradictory comments about the amendment proposal.

He said LMP’s reason for staying away from Tuesday’s talks was that “their feelings were hurt” after they were the only ones to show up for a meeting about the proposal on Monday which Kósa said “had not been convened by anybody”.

Jobbik group leader János Volner said that with the passage of the amendment Hungary would gain substantive legal protection from migrant redistribution quotas. He said his party had proposed that parliament should clarify the scope of third-country nationals. Jobbik has also proposed to make the law governing the settlement of foreign nationals in Hungary a cardinal law requiring a two-thirds majority in parliament, he added. Volner said it was “sad” that the other opposition parties had not shown up for the meeting.