On Thursday, Minister of State for Government Communication Bence Tuzson told public television channel M1 that the referendum can block the EU’s decision-making.
Mr. Tuzson added that this is a fundamental issue: the question is whether others can assume the right to “order us” to receive people who wish to enter the territory of Hungary. He emphasised that the question of who we want to live alongside in Hungary has always been a Hungarian issue, a Hungarian legal issue. Hungary has never waived this right, therefore the EU has no authority to decide on this issue, he stated.
“Only those can enter Hungary whom we Hungarians allow to enter”, Mr Tuzson said, adding that this is the clear message that has to be sent to the EU. He noted that up to now the EU’s decision-making has only ever been halted when a Member State decided on an issue in a referendum: the EU “as a policy has never opposed” the outcome of a referendum.
The question to be put to the public in the referendum is as follows: “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?” On Tuesday the Constitutional Court received a complaint against Parliament’s decision to order the referendum on mandatory resettlement quotas. The anonymously-submitted complaint can be found on the Constitutional Court’s website. The body will deal with the matter urgently on an extraordinary basis; legislation states that it must review complaints within 30 days.
The date for the referendum will be announced by the President of the Republic within fifteen days of the conclusion of procedures for legal remedy related to Parliament’s decision. The date of the referendum must be between seventy and ninety days after it is announced.