Speaking in Parliament Building on Friday, 3 June, the Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó emphasized that the most important goal is to guarantee the security of Hungarian people. He added that the proposed bill to amend the Fundamental Law of Hungary is aimed at ensuring that the Hungarian Defence Forces can also do their share in the fight against terrorism.

Mr. Simicskó held a press briefing before the joint session of the National Security and the Defence and Law Enforcement Committees of the National Assembly. At the closed-door session, the two bodies are discussing a proposed bill to amend the Fundamental Law, which would add a new “terror threat situation” to the special legal orders specified in the constitution. In the event of declaring this situation, the Hungarian Defence Forces could also be used to guarantee the security of Hungary.

The minister of defence told the press that there had already been several rounds of five-party consultations about this amendment to the Fundamental Law, which resulted in a consensual proposal that also takes into consideration some amendments proposed by the Opposition. For this reason, Mr. Simicskó said he hoped that the bill would finally receive the necessary support.

Referring to the recent attack on Brussels, the capital of the European Union, the minister warned that every EU member country, including Hungary, is exposed to terrorist threats. In this connection, Mr. Simicskó noted that thanks to the effective work of the Hungarian secret services, the level of this threat is “not so high”, but at the same time, “such emergencies must be prevented”.

He stated that the Ministry of the Interior’s package of counter-terrorism measures is primarily aimed at helping to expand the scope of intelligence-gathering by the police and the secret services, while the bill proposed by the Ministry of Defence serves the aim of authorizing, in support of police forces and secret services, the deployment of the Hungarian Defence Forces in case Hungary comes under a terrorist attack.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)