“An overwhelming majority, 99 percent of respondents reinforced the Governments’ standpoint with regard to all six questions put forward in the National Consultation”, The Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary State Secretary said at a press conference in Budapest on Monday.
Csaba Dömötör explained: “The processing of the record number of replies is complete and there is absolute agreement on the fact that Brussels cannot take away strategically important spheres of competence from Hungary”.
“We must keep the determination of taxes, salaries and energy prices in our own hands, continue to take all necessary action to combat illegal immigration, and make the operations of foreign-funded activist groups more transparent”, the Minister of State declared.
In Mr. Dömötör’s opinion, the issue of where the line should be drawn between EU and national spheres of competence is a subject of debate in many European countries. “The National Consultation, which ended on 30 May, may be regarded as part of the debate on the future of the European Union”, he added, indicating that “Hungary would like a strong Europe that respects nation states and builds on them”.
“1 million 680 thousand and 933 people took part in the National Consultation until the deadline”, he told reporters, noting in comparison that this is 400 thousand more than voted for the Left and 700 thousand more than cast their votes for Jobbik during the 2014 national elections. He also noted that the 7100 questionnaires received following the deadline had also been taken into consideration by the Government.
The Minister of State said the Government was expecting drawn-out disputes with relation to the Consultation; for instance, with relation to immigration the quota plan is still on the agenda and strong political attacks are also being directed against Hungary’s border barrier. He highlighted, however, that the Government’s standpoint is now reinforced by a significant level of public support.
The detailed results with relation to the individual questions put forward during the National Consultation have also been published on the government website.
In reply to a question, Mr. Dömötör said the costs of the Consultation were still being totalled and would be published at a later date.
The Minister of State was also asked with relation to news reports claiming that families with links to Fidesz were receiving hundreds of millions of euros in EU funding, to which he replied that funding arrives in Hungary as compensation for the country having opened its markets, and almost 10 thousand small family farms receive funding within the framework of agricultural funding programmes.
“This is not awarded to individuals, but automatically based on the area of land, in addition to which there are also public tenders, which everyone has the opportunity to become involved in”, he declared, adding that he has no idea how many Fidesz or MSZP supporters are among those involved.
In reply to a question concerning the fact that automobile parts supplier Takata, which also has a presence in Hungary, is filing for bankruptcy in Japan, Mr. Dömötör said: The Government monitors the decisions of every one of its strategic partners, and the same is true in this case; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the competent authority to respond to this question.
(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)
