Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the endorsement of the Brexit withdrawal agreement by EU leaders in Brussels was “a real Black Sunday” and “a sad day for the European Union”.
PM Orbán told public television news channel M1 in Brussels on Sunday that Hungary had tried to convince the UK to remain in the EU, even intervening in the Brits’ campaign, but to no avail. “Now we have no other choice but to acknowledge the decision that has been taken,” he said. The UK’s divorce is a “great loss”, he added.
The prime minster said that not only is Brexit a great political and economic loss for the EU, but the UK, which is a rich country, will also take much money with it. He said Hungary would have got more money from the EU budget in the coming years if the UK had stayed.
PM Orbán said the EU’s current leadership bears responsibility for Brexit, electing a European Commission president to whom Brits were opposed and letting in migrants while failing to keep the United Kingdom in the bloc.
The prime minister said responsibility of these leaders will be one of the most important issues weighed when the five-year mandate of the European Parliament winds up in the spring.
PM Orbán added that the Hungarian government’s goal of protecting the interests of Hungarians working in the UK had been achieved. “Those Hungarians who are in England today, they’re safe, their situation has not worsened,” he said.