Balázs Hidvéghi, a state secretary of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office, said Ukraine's EU accession could affect the lives of all Hungarians, and to make a responsible decision, one must be aware of the foreseeable consequences and risks of accession.
In a video posted on the government's social media page on Saturday, Hidveghi noted that delivery of the voting packages on Ukraine's EU membership would start soon. The ballot paper has one single question: "Do you support Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union? YES/NO".
The envelope will also contain a summary of the key aspects and risks of Ukraine's accession. Everyone should consider these carefully before making a decision, he said. Brussels has already stated why it is interested in Ukraine's expedited accession, but Hungarian interests must also be taken into account, he added.
The first point to consider is the issue of financial risks since with Ukraine's accession, Hungary would become a net contributor, Hidvéghi said. In addition, Brussels is also forcing a huge joint borrowing, meaning that Hungary would jointly become indebted due to Ukraine's accelerated accession, he added.
He said the agricultural risks were also important. Ukraine's farmland is as large as one-third of the entire EU's farmland area. Hungarian farmers would lose their area-based subsidies and all EU funding would go to Ukraine's farm sector, Hidvéghi said.
The state secretary went on to cite food safety risks, security risks, the risk posed by a massive influx of cheap Ukrainian workforce as well as health risks. He concluded that "a hasty Ukrainian accession carries a number of serious threats to Hungary", calling on everyone to participate in the vote.