State Secretary Csaba Dömötör said the government has decided to launch a National Consultation because of disputes with institutions in Brussels that affect Hungary’s economy and security.
In a video message posted on Facebook, Dömötör said the nationwide survey was also necessary to ensure “decisions about the future remain in our own hands”. “We’re being pressured to give more money for the Russian-Ukrainian war, which is not exactly an effort to advance peace,” he said. Brussels also wants the Hungarian government to accept a new migration package that not only relocates migrants but requires they be allowed to immigrate even before their asylum applications are weighed, he added. “The significance of this can’t be overstated, considering the recent terrorist attacks in Europe and shootings on our southern border,” he said. Touching on economic issues that will be addressed in the National Consultation, he said the government’s position was that families shouldn’t have to shoulder the burdens of the crisis, while companies that rake in windfall profits should “take their fair share of the burden”. In contrast, Brussels wants to eliminate support for household utility fees, interest rate freezes and the windfall profit tax, which would mean an “enormous additional expenditure” for families, he added. The government will also ask people to weigh in on Brussels’ request for more money from the government even as it withholds money due the country, he said. Questions to be included in the National Consultation will be presented in detail in the coming days, he added.