The Government Spokesperson described the summer information campaign related to the quota referendum as absolutely necessary. Zoltán Kovács also said that the Government will take action to extend the state of crisis caused by illegal migration which will expire on 9 September.

According to Mr Kovács’s information, they will continue the campaign, and every member of the Government will take an active part in it so that the people can say no to the question of the referendum in a well-informed manner. He highlighted that the inhabitants of Hungary will be the first on 2 October to state their opinion in the EU as to whether they find it conceivable that the bureaucratic apparatus in Brussels should decide on forced settlement by circumventing the national parliament.

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The 5-6 main messages displayed around the country were necessary because the Western-European media are rather divided, and partly cover up the actual situation. He added: quite evidently, illegal immigration is posing a major challenge to public security, the number of atrocities involving women has increased drastically, and there is additionally a provable and obvious connection between those suspected of and perpetrating acts of terrorism and illegal migration.

In the Government Spokesperson’s evaluation, the events of the summer testify to the same fact as last year: „the challenges and tasks caused by illegal migration continue to remain with us”. In his words, the trend which has been observed year after year – based on which the number of migrants arriving in the first 7 to 8 months doubles by the end of the year – is hardly promising. According to the data of Frontex and Eurostat, more than 260,000 people have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean alone, and almost the same number of people have arrived on the continent by land, he said.

Due to the ongoing pressure, the Government will take action to extend the national state of crisis caused by mass immigration which will expire on 9 September, he indicated, and said that the Government will also provide for the availability and further development of technical equipment and devices, in addition to having decided on increasing the staff of the police and reinforcing border policing companies.

In answer to the question of whether the referendum will have any impact on the decision to be adopted in Brussels, he said that it cannot be ignored either in Hungary, or in the EU that the EU is preparing to adopt a decision that will be binding on the Member States on an issue which falls within competence that has never been delegated. The referendum will be unavoidable, he pointed out.

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Regarding the casting of votes by mail by Hungarians living abroad, he said: a swift amendment would jeopardise the implementation of the referendum, and those who wish to cast their votes will be able to do so under duly regulated circumstances also at this point in time. He described the related activities of the opposition parties as mere acts of compensation, pointing out: they simultaneously encourage people not to take part in the referendum and „engage in combat” in favour of something on which there is no room for manoeuvre.

The Government Spokesperson said in answer to a question relating to the accusations levelled against Fidesz Member of Parliament Roland Mengyi: there is no involvement on the Government’s part, and they advocate zero tolerance in the department of corruption. Everyone themselves must take responsibility for their actions, he continued, whilst he disputed the reliability of press reports.

Mr Kovács was also queried about the positions held within the foundations of the National Bank of Hungary. In answer to this enquiry, he said: the central bank is independent of the Government, and he therefore cannot have an opinion on the matter.

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In response to the fact that Uber submitted a complaint to the European Commission against Hungary, he highlighted: no one banned the operation of the transportation network company, the service provider itself decided to withdraw from Hungary. The Government merely asked them to comply with the relevant tax and other regulations, and it is therefore strange that they should file a complaint, he remarked.

(MTI)