According to Hidveghi, the ballots cannot be photocopied or duplicated and will be counted under strict supervision in the presence of a notary.
Ballots will be mailed out starting in mid-April, and by the end of May, every Hungarian citizen with permanent residency in Hungary will receive one. Voters can return them to the government via the postal service, free of charge.
Hidveghi explained why other commonly used forms are not applicable in this case. Referendums cannot be held in the case of international treaties, and national consultations involve multiple questions on various topics. This time, however, there is only one question, which is why this new tool was chosen. "We are the first to turn to the people regarding this significant issue," he emphasized.
The government will take the stance confirmed by the Hungarian people in the public opinion vote. Ukraine cannot become a member of the European Union without the consent of the Hungarians. Member states have veto power over this decision,
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that Ukraine's accession should be fast-tracked within her term—meaning within five years. The state secretary pointed out this would come with several risks, especially financial ones. Ukraine’s 800,000-strong army—which President Zelensky aims to expand to one million troops after a peace agreement—is expected to be financially supported by Europe. This is in addition to Europe’s own military reinforcement efforts.
In practice, we are basically maintaining the Ukrainian state with European funds, which consumes enormous amounts of money,
he noted. and then there are the agricultural risks. Ukraine’s arable land is equal to one-third of the EU’s total cultivated land.
The Common Agricultural Policy and land-based subsidies, as we know them, would cease to exist,
Hidveghi warned. Furthermore, Ukrainian agriculture uses many chemicals that have been banned in the EU for health reasons.
These products would flood our markets and pose health risks,
Hidveghi also raised security concerns, pointing out that northern Hungary is already grappling with organized crime from Ukraine—including drug trafficking, drug cartels, prostitution and mafia activities.
These criminal elements could spread into the EU—and Hungary, as a neighboring country, would be affected first,
he warned. Balazs Hidveghi also criticized the plan to finance Ukraine’s fast-tracked accession, the military and government operations for lack of existing funds. He said will have to be done through joint EU loans.
We cannot support this. We do not want to take on shared debt with EU member states for Ukraine’s sake,
the state secretary concluded.
Cover Photo: Balazs Hidveghi, Hungary's Parliamentary State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office (Photo: MTI/Noemi Bruzak)
