The outspoken Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, has drawn a line in the sand with Brussels over the question of immigration and national sovereignty, promising a veto if the European Union (EU) attempts to coerce Hungary into taking in more migrants.

In a live radio broadcast last Friday, Orbán told interviewer Éva Kocsis that he is opposed to transferring any further decision-making authority to Brussels, especially regarding areas that impinge directly on Hungarian sovereignty, such as immigration, the fixing of taxes and wages, and Hungary’s border fence.

In his critique of “the Brussels bureaucrats,” the Prime Minister insisted that he is not “anti-Europe” but wishes merely to halt the EU’s creeping arrogation of further powers to itself and to maintain the current relationship as it is.

“So when we say, ‘Stop, no further,’ we’re simply defending the status quo,” he said.

For instance, if Brussels tries “to force the relocation programme on us at our next upcoming summit – which is due sometime in June – I’ll exercise my veto,” Orbán continued.

“I’ll refer to the fact that Hungarian voters have made it clear that they don’t wish to delegate this power to Brussels, and we wish to decide on who we should live alongside,” he said.

The Prime Minister praised the vigorous democratic system that is alive and well in Hungary, fueled by the active and informed participation of the citizenry.

“Hungary is not an apathetic country,” he said. “The Hungarian people are well-informed about what’s going on in the world, they’re interested in what’s going on, and if they’re given a chance they state their views, and have the mental capacity and judgement to take a stance on these issues. And they do so with confidence.”

“This is a great encouragement for me, because the work of my government has always been based on the principle that we should seek to involve the people in our decisions on the most important matters,” he said.

The Prime Minister also referred to recent statements by billionaire George Soros against the Hungarian government as “a declaration of war.”

“We have here before us a financial speculator who has amassed an enormous amount of money by causing problems for other people, and even destroying the lives of many. He has amassed billions of dollars in this manner, and he’s using this money to bring about changes in the world – including on the European continent and in Hungary,” Orbán said.

The Prime Minister was especially critical of the way Soros uses NGOs as shadow organizations to accomplish his programs, particularly regarding the promotion of migration into Europe.

Soros finances networks which operate as if they are his agents, Orbán said. “He pays a network, thousands of people. They’re activists – political workers in fact – and they’re working towards the goals set by George Soros.”

“More specifically, as far as Hungary is concerned, this means the aim that George Soros openly declared in one of his earlier articles: that one million migrants must be brought into Europe every year – and he will supply the Europeans with credit for this purpose. He has put this on record.”

Much of Soros’ animosity toward the Hungarian government is its opposition to his plans for massive migration, Orbán said.

“The Hungarian government is defending its borders and has built a fence; and in these circumstances it is impossible to implement the Soros script and plan,” he said.

“The entire left is among the supporters of his programme,” he added.

“So there is a Soros plan, and the Hungarian voters also have a plan. These two plans are incompatible. And yesterday George Soros said that he’s going to implement his ideas, no matter what. This is a declaration of war,” he said.

Orbán stated that the Soros position is “elitist and anti-democratic,” because it wants to impose something on the country against the will of the Hungarian people.

It is, however, “also insulting,” he said.

“It’s insulting to speak in such a tone about Hungary, about a country which was on the brink of financial ruin in 2010, and then pulled itself together without foreign help, from its own resources – in other words, not from the Germans’ money and not from EU money,” he said.

“We’ve achieved great results, and we have faith in our future. And then a financial speculator comes along and throws things like this in the face of the Hungarian people. And he does so while in reality the only network in Hungary with mafia-style operations, the only network that’s not transparent and conceals itself, is the Soros-style network,” he said.

In Hungary, he went on, every Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister and the ministers are required to submit a declaration of assets and to render an account of their activities. They are accountable to the people.

There is, however, “an important element in public life in Hungary which is not transparent and not open – and that is the Soros network, with its mafia-style operation and its agent-like organisations,” he said.

We must insist on making these organisations transparent, he said, “because the Hungarian people have the right to know who represents what and to what end, and what goals they seek to achieve through their operations.”

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