According to the Minster of Justice, democracy includes listening to the people and the issue of immigration is so significant that the population of the country must be asked about it. This was how László Trócsányi reacted to the Prime Minister’s announcement on the launching of a referendum on Hungarian M1 television’s morning current affairs program.

On Wednesday, the Government decided to initiate a referendum on the compulsory resettlement quota; the referendum concerns the question: “Do you agree that the European Union should have the power to impose the compulsory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary without the consent of the National Assembly of Hungary?”, the Minister recalled.

With relation to reactions from the opposition that the question is unconstitutional, Mr. Trócsányi said the question of based on Hungary’s Fundamental Law and does not contravene any international treaties. The Minister of Justice also pointed out that in the European Union there are exclusive spheres of competence concerning for instance the customs union and trade, and there are also shared spheres of competence. In accordance with the Constitution, the sphere of competence that would allow the compulsory resettlement of people in Hungary has not been transferred to the European Union, the Minister stressed, emphasising that this is an extremely important issue that relates to national sovereignty.

With regard to the schedule for the referendum, the Minister of Justice told the press that it was a long procedure and it would take months before a referendum could be held. If the referendum is successful, Parliament will have to issue new legislation as a result, Mr. Trócsányi explained.

On Kossuth Radio’s “180 Minutes” programme, the Minister of Justice said: the European Union is currently “cracking and creaking” because of a democratic deficit. The EU generally also wants national parliaments to become more involved, he noted. Mr. Trócsányi called the referendum a brave initiative, stressing that “steps of this kind are required if we want to reduce the democratic deficit”.

(Ministry of Justice)