According to Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács, the decision of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs which was adopted the other day is also contrary to the intentions of the supreme decision-making body of the European Union, the European Council.

The Government Spokesperson, who spoke to Hungarian and British journalists on Tuesday in London regarding processes in Hungary and the European Union, highlighted: the draft voted for by the LIBE Committee with respect to the transformation of the Dublin regulatory framework of the common EU asylum system last Thursday would withdraw sovereign powers from EU Member States in a hidden and stealthy manner. As part of the contemplated reform, a body would be set up which would effectively create a mandatory and permanent quota mechanism for the distribution of asylum-seekers and migrants.

"This is the quota system that we have been talking about for two years now; this is the quota system that we clearly say no to as, in our view, the quota system is a bad idea, it is contrary to the best interests of the Member States, and is a dangerous enterprise”, the Government Spokesperson said at his press conference held in London.

He pointed out: the Hungarian position on this matter is very consistent, Hungary is opposed to all such initiatives, and the national consultation, too, serves the very same purpose.

Mr Kovács described the national consultation as highly successful. He added: the Government is fully convinced that one of the elements of that success is that the consultation reflects the realities of life.

Regarding the Hungarian economy, he told members of the press that the country’s economic performance is intensive: according to the Government’s estimate, the growth rate will reach 4 per cent by the end of the year, consumption has been on the increase for 15 consecutive months, real wages are increasing by more than 10 per cent, and meanwhile inflation is low.

The rate of unemployment which currently stands at around 4 to 4.1 per cent is at a historical low, Mr Kovács stressed. He highlighted: the percentage of jobless people was some 11.4 per cent in 2010, 700 thousand new jobs have come into being since, mostly in the market segment of the economy, and the goal of creating one million jobs can be achieved by the end of the decade.

Returning to the topic of illegal migration, Mr Kovács stated that the processes that are currently taking place at the European borders are not transitory. He referred to a recent NATO report which concludes that tens of millions of people are standing by to set out for Europe.

“We are already late with our efforts regarding the management and stopping of illegal migration, and this is alarming also in light of the fact that others are trying to organise (illegal immigration) instead of seeking to stop it”, the Government Spokesperson said.

According to Mr Kovács, concerning the issue of Brexit, the cessation of Britain’s EU membership, the Hungarian position coincides with the European position. At the same time, Hungary will take good care of enforcing Hungary’s best interests, and on these it is not prepared to compromise.

In answer to a journalist’s question relating to the Government’s position on non-governmental organisations, the Government Spokesperson said: if someone seeks to join the realm of political decision-making, they need democratic authorisation. Non-governmental organisations, however, do not have such democratic authorisation, they never entered the elections. Electoral support is not the same as financial support, he added.

He told the press: the 18 billion dollars that György Soros placed at the disposal of the Open Society Foundations that he established is more than the annual personal income tax revenue of the Hungarian budget.

(MTI)