“Brussels is ‘afraid of the Hungarian referendum’, so it is trying to somehow avoid its political consequences’, Minister in charge of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Antal Rogán said on Wednesday evening at a forum in Budapest.

‘If the Hungarians say no to the compulsory resettlement quota then other EU countries could follow suit. Hungary is the first country in which the people can decide on Brussels’ immigration policy; if there is a strong outcome then the quota could be dropped from the agenda throughout the whole of the EU”, he added.

“The Brussels quota package is already passing through the EU legislative system; what the referendum must prevent is that its elements become mandatory in the autumn or early winter”, he stated.

Mr. Rogán stressed that the Hungarian standpoint, according to which Hungary and Europe must be be protected by a strong and properly operating border and immigrants who set out for the continent should be accommodated and given assistance outside Europe, because illegal immigration “brings the problem to Europe instead of providing help where it is needed”, is correct and not heartless.

The Minister said there are 22 million unemployed people living in Europe and labour shortages could be solved via internal mobility, and pointed out that according to figures from large German companies only a very minimal number of newly arrived immigrants are capable of integrating into the job market.

At the same time, Mr. Rogán also emphasised that nobody thinks that every illegal immigrant is a potential terrorist, but it is clear that terrorist organisations do attempt to exploit this mass flow of people. “Immigrants are not enemies, but victims; victims of the unprecedented state of affairs in their homeland, of Brussels’ mistaken politics and of people smugglers”, he declared.

“We are not anti-EU”, but “we became a member of the European Union, not a subordinate of the Brussels commission” and the community, which he said was “prosperous, successful and worth protecting” must be kept as a Europe of nations; it must not be allowed to move off in the direction of a United States of Europe, he stated.

According to Mr. Rogán, “If Brussels had acted responsibly there would have been no Brexit”.

At the event, Minister for National Economy and the district’s Fidesz MP Mihály Varga said the result of the referendum would be a historic decision. A high turnout and a large number of no votes will support the Government in representing the interests of the Hungarian people, he stressed.

(MTI)