At a press conference in the Parliament Building on Tuesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that “The fact that in the referendum on 2 October there was a 98 per cent majority voting ‘no’ to mandatory relocation means that a new unity has been established in Hungary: a unity beyond party politics, which regards protecting our sovereignty as a national issue”.
The Prime Minister told the press that “We plan to amend the Constitution on four points, including one stipulating that the collective settlement of people in Hungary shall be prohibited; such settlement shall only be permitted on the basis of individual requests”. He added that the Cabinet would be reviewing the planned Bill in its Wednesday session.
At a press conference following Tuesday’s meeting of the ruling parties’ parliamentary groups, head of the Fidesz group Lajos Kósa said: “Initiatives supported by the Fidesz-KDNP parliamentary groups must be put before the House by 10 October, after which Parliament will debate them on 17 November and hold a vote on 8 November. This means that, if adopted, the legislation could come into force in mid-November.”
The Government is bound by such a unanimous expression of will, because in Hungary there are 3 million 300 thousand people who have decided that they will not allow others to decide instead of us on a question – the question of resettlement and migrants. These people did not vote against the migrants or the European Union, but for a suitable method of handling this mass migration movement of the modern era. These 3.3 million people is a genuine national unity who believes that there is a cause in which they are – putting aside their world views – willing to pull together.
The Prime Minister said that the Constitution, the Fundamental Law would be amended in four places. In essence the amended legislation will state that a person with no right to free movement and residence can only relocate to Hungary on the basis of an individual application which has been accepted by the authorities in line with legislation adopted by the National Assembly. Collective relocation shall be prohibited. The Cabinet would set about formulating the wording at its Wednesday’s meeting.
Regarding the two-thirds majority required for the constitutional amendment, he said that they were acting according to a good scenario. In response to a question, Mr. Orbán said that if the new unity had not included 43% of the electorate, but more than 50% of them, then their voice would have enforced itself of its own accord. But it was 43%, and now to enforce the voice of this majority we need some parliamentary help – a driving force – and I also need assistance to enable these people to successfully assert their will.
According to Mr. Orbán, the referendum and the constitutional amendment together is a stronger position that the referendum alone. A new migration and immigration system must be established in Europe which is acceptable to every Member State, and which respects the will of the Member States. He also said that he would find it very difficult to imagine that in Brussels a decision would be made against those voting validly 98 per cent stating that they do not want something. The European Union cannot make decisions, which force a people to change its constitutional identity against its will. Brussels cannot introduce regulations that overwrite overrule national legislation on issues which affect constitutional identity.
At a press conference following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting of governing parties, Leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group Lajos Kósa said that the proposal for constitutional amendment backed by FIDESZ-KDNP parliamentary groups must be submitted to Parliament by 10 October 2016, so that Parliament can hold a general debate on 17 October. In this scenario, Parliament can vote on the Fundamental Law on 8 November, after which, having been signed by the President of Hungary, it can enter into force in the middle of November. Naturally the Fidesz parliamentary group will also initiate discussions on the issue between the five parliamentary groups, Mr. Kósa said.
He added that during the referendum campaign the socialist party said – unanimously and on several occasions – that the referendum is unnecessary, that there is no mandatory relocation quota, and that the EU isn’t planning this at all. But they said that they would support a Bill of this kind in Parliament. Jobbik also proposed constitutional amendment. So the political conditions for the constitutional amendment suggest that it could be successful in Parliament. He believed that the adoption of Jobbik’s constitutional amendment would have ended our membership of the European Union Should.
Mr. Kósa also told the press conference that the Cabinet has decided to give the Prime Minister a mandate, so that his signature can launch the ratification process of the CETA, the prospective free-trade agreement between the EU and Canada. He also said that there can be no temporary regulations covering sections over which Hungary must have independent control.