“The Hungarian Referendum this autumn is about the fact that there should be no common immigration policy that forces immigrants onto EU Member States”, Antal Rogán declared on Kossuth Radio’s “Sunday Paper” current affairs program.

The Minister in charge of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister added. “This is the referendum against the compulsory resettlement quota so that the people of Hungary retain the right to decide and it cannot be seized by Brussels”.

With relation to Thursday’s British referendum on the EU, Mr. Rogán said: “The British have decided to exit the European Union, and by a larger majority than was perhaps originally expected. The decision is clear and it is unlikely to be questioned by anyone in British politics”.

According to the Minister, we must hope that Brussels also hears the voice of the British, and not just that of the British, who have decided they have “had enough” and will exit the EU, but also the voice of those who wish to remain but would like certain changes, such as the Hungarians.

In Mr. Rogan’s opinion, one of the reasons the British decided to exit the EU is because they have had enough of Brussels’ immigration policies and the fact that Brussels wants to centralise many spheres of competence and take away the right to decide from nation states. “The most important lesson of the British referendum is that ‘Brussels must hear the voice of European citizens’ and must listen to people’s opinions, because the European Union and Member States cannot be governed against the will of the people”, he stressed.

“Just as the British have sent a message, so too can the Hungarians send a message to Brussels, the message that it cannot take nation state rights away from Hungary”, he emphasised. “Similarly to its entry, the British exit will not happen in a day; it depends on many regulations and will be a process that lasts at least two years, meaning we cannot expect any short-term consequences. Perhaps the only short-term issue we must pay attention to is that a decision of this kind provides an opportunity for those who want to attack the EU’s economy and currency”, he added. “There are speculators who “strike” immediately at such times, and this is something both we and others must monitor”, he pointed out.

“The most important decision and what we must decide in the long term is what kind of EU we should have following the British exit. According to the Hungarian Government we need new regulations and the European Union must be reformed”, he stressed.

At the British referendum held on Thursday on Great Britain’s continued membership of the European Union, the majority of the electorate voted for the United Kingdom to leave the EU.

(MTI)