“In addition to scare tactics, threats and political blackmail, the European Commission has also suggested a concrete punishment for countries that refuse to take part in the implementation of the Soros Plan”, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said at a press conference in Budapest.

The Government Spokesperson explained that in a 2016 draft proposal the EU body recommended that member states that refuse to participate in the mandatory resettlement of illegal immigrants should pay a so-called solidarity fine of 78 million forints (EUR 250,000) per head with respect to each unaccepted migrant.

“In the case of an average Hungarian, these 78 million forints are sometimes more than can be earned during a whole lifetime”, Mr Kovács said, who again called for as many Hungarian people as possible to fill out and return the upcoming National Consultation questionnaire and determine what standpoint the Government should represent when it fights its tough battles on illegal immigration with the European Union.

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On the subject, Mr. Kovács pointed out that the Government cannot count on the opposition with relation to this issue, because “it would demolish the fence if it could and represents a pro-immigration standpoint”, “However, Sunday’s German elections and the upcoming Austrian elections both indicated that the fining of countries that refuse to accept illegal immigrants continues to be on the agenda”, he added.

According to Mr. Kovács, it has become obvious that countries who are opposed to immigration and “would not like to become immigrant countries” and having to face increasingly serious political attacks. This trend has been particularly gaining strength “since the recent ruling on the mandatory quota, which we have always contested”, he added.

The Government Spokesperson reminded the press that since 2015, György Soros has put forward his ideas, relating to how the European Union should handle the problem of illegal immigration and the demographic challenge it faces, in several forms. It transpired from a document leaked in 2016 to what extent György Soros’s organisations have attempted to forge links and continue to forge links with European opinion-formers and decision-makers to ensure that they introduce measures and regulations that enable the punishment of those who put forward a different opinion to that of the European Commission”, Mr. Kovács said.

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“György Soros also made a concrete recommendation with regard to how the financing required by the plan could be raised and how those who are not prepared to participate might be punished”, he highlighted. “One such step could be the reduction of area-based and cohesion funding, which would negatively affect Eastern and Central Europe to the greatest extent, while illegal immigration and the extremely systematically balanced system of cohesion funds that are beneficial to all member states have absolutely nothing to do with each other”, he explained.

In addition, Mr. Kovács also told the press that the Government will be asking the Financial Times, which has “refused to get off the Hungarian Government’s back” recently and has been acting “like an extended arm” of European institutions, to publish a correction and provide an opportunity to respond to its claims.

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In reply to a question, the Government Spokesperson confirmed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó’s viewpoint with relation to the Ukrainian Education Act. According to Mr. Kovács, Ukraine has stabbed Hungary in the back, despite the fact that Hungary has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters from the very beginning. “We will also be placing Ukraine in a difficult situation with regard to its EU accession”, he said, adding that one cannot put forward a pro-European approach with regard to certain issues, but something completely different when it comes to minority and language use issues.

(MTI)