The government aims to give Hungarian citizens the opportunity to express their opinion on the issue.Continue reading
Hungary’s future in 15-20 years could be decided in terms of Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, the Prime Minister argued, at a public forum held in Pilisvörösvár on Wednesday in connection with the Voks2025 referendum. Viktor Orbán noted that Hungarians always like to talk about how things will be better. “But sometimes we have to think that it can be worse,” he declared, adding that this is what the referendum is about.
Viktor Orbán told the forum that there is an order in Brussels that Ukraine must join the EU by 2030. He believes that if it happens, “everything we have heard about the Ukrainian mafia, public security, and agriculture could be confirmed.”
“And if someone claims that they will bring home EU money and support Ukraine’s EU membership, they are obviously lying. Because if Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union, there will be no money to bring home,” he stressed.
The Prime Minister then spoke of the importance that the result of the referendum would have in the hands of the government. “I can tell you in all seriousness that if there is not a decisive, clear majority of Hungarian public opinion against Ukraine’s membership of the EU, it is not certain that we will be able to defend Hungary’s interests in European forums through governmental power alone,” he said.
This will be the most difficult and biggest battle of the next six months for the entire European Union, because it will decide the future of the European Union,”
the Prime Minister warned.
The politician said that an order had been issued to bring Ukraine into the European Union by 2030. “I am not even saying that sometime in 20-30-40 years’ time things could develop in such a way that Ukraine will be able to meet the conditions for accession and that they will not destroy the Hungarian economy,” he said.
But I am sure that this is not in the foreseeable future of 15 years. I dare to say that, all the more so because countries are admitted to the EU and are placed in terms of voting rights and financial support, for example, when their size is known,”
he pointed out.
“How big was Ukraine this morning? And how many people live there?” the Prime Minister asked. He said it was not even known whether there would be a lasting solution guaranteed by an international peace treaty, an end to the war, or a frozen conflict and more border tensions every week.
Besides Orbán, the forum was attended by Tamás Menczer, Director of Communications of the governing parties (Fidesz-KDNP), and Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Szijjártó said that the EU is running into a losing battle, most probably caused by three factors: war, illegal migration, and Brussels’ desire to push Ukraine into the fold at an extra fast pace.
Péter Szijjártó at a press conference before the public forum. Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
“In order to save Europe from running into the ground, we must say no to all three threats. We have to say no to war, we have to say no to migration and we have to say no to Brussels pushing Ukraine into the European Union with extra speed,” he stressed.
The countries of the Western Balkans have been waiting on average fifteen years for EU membership, while they want to push Ukraine in after three years, violently, aggressively, with extra speed,”
he stressed. The minister said that this was “obviously nonsense,” but also extremely dangerous, as Ukrainian membership of the EU would be a threat to the community’s economy, agriculture, labor market and security. The Hungarian people will have to make their own decision, he said, adding that the government will consider this decision binding on itself.
Via Magyar Nemzet, MTI; Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher