Migrant quota referendum irrelevant to EC, says opposition DK

Budapest, August 11 (MTI) – The outcome of the Oct 2 referendum in Hungary about the European Union’s migrant quotas is irrelevant to the European Commission and will not overwrite the government’s obligations to the EU, MEP Péter Niedermüller, of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK), said on Thursday.

Niedermüller said he had submitted a written question about Hungary’s quota referendum to the EC in July and EC President Jean-Claude Juncker made it clear in his response that regardless of the referendum’s outcome, Hungary’s government is expected to meet its obligations stemming from EU membership.

The government has been “inciting the public” for months, saying that the referendum would be a message to Brussels but there is now proof that this “pseudo referendum” is not about the quota, since it will not affect it, Niedermuller said. Instead, the government is asking for an authorisation to drive Hungary out of the EU, he added.

DK is repeatedly asking Hungarian voters not to participate in the referendum. Staying away will be a clear expression of the view that Hungary should remain an EU member, he said.