Consensus-seeking in Brussels is a thing of the past, they want to solve the downsizing of the nation-state's powers by force - points out Krisztián Talabér, an analyst at Nézőpont.
The interior ministers of the European Union member states voted in Luxembourg on the mandatory migrant quota. The inclusion of this issue on the agenda once again raised the mood, generating a debate not only in Hungary, but also in the European Union. In an interview with Mandiner, Krisztián Talabér stated in this regard:
"The migrant quota is clearly an anti-Hungarian decision, since according to the proposal, Hungary would have to take in almost a third of all illegal immigrants, while in the 2016 referendum on this issue, 98 percent of those participating in the decision were against forcible redistribution," reminds the expert, adding that based on these it is unacceptable that Brussels wants to turn Hungary into a country of immigration, despite the will of the Hungarian voters".
According to Krisztián Talabér, there are several reasons for speeding up the issue of the migrant quota: on the one hand, the European Parliament is aware that its left-wing majority is secured until June 2024, and the new balance of power emerging after that is also questionable for them.
On the other hand, from July 2024, Hungary will hold the office of the consecutive presidency of the European Union, and with the pro-immigration decision, they want to put Hungary, which has consistently stood up against illegal migration for almost a decade, into an unpleasant situation in the international arena.
The way they decided on the migrant quota showed the true face of Brussels: consensus-seeking is now a thing of the past, and they want to solve the reduction of the powers of the nation-state by force, the Nezőpont analyst points out. In practice, a fault line within the continent can be seen: while the western half of Europe voted yes to the proposal, Central Europe voted no or abstention equivalent to no.
Krisztián Talabér reminds us: the Poles have already announced that they have started to organize a coalition of countries opposed to the relocation of migrants, so the matter is not a "done game", and serious discussions on this issue are to be expected in Brussels.
"Sovereignist, anti-immigration forces will certainly move every stone to make the final decision much more favorable to them. The goal of the EP with a left-wing majority, however, is certainly to push through the federalist proposal before the end of the 2019-2024 cycle," emphasizes the Nezőpont expert.
After the agreement of the interior ministers, the text will be submitted to the European Parliament and the European Commission, where the final text of the agreement will be drawn up.
According to the expert of the Nézőpont Institute, the flare-up of the migrant issue can help the 2024 campaign of anti-immigration political forces, and on the other hand, the European left will do everything to present these parties as an extreme community in their left-liberal media network.
According to him, the fact that six out of ten anti-government voters, based on research by the Viewpoint Institute, share the position of the government and not the left on the issue of the migrant quota, is a clear message to the opposition. "Just because of such phenomena, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the left has fewer voters in its camp from election to election," the expert points out.
In light of all this, why do they represent pro-immigration views? – the question can be raised, to which Krisztián Talabér responds that this is their political conviction. Their allies, their foreign dollar financiers, also believe in these principles, and the community is closing in.
"The elite of the Hungarian left does not expect its authorization from the voters, but from its foreign clients. Those who fulfill the political demands of international patrons can count on support. That's what this story is about."
