Hungary to amend constitution to BLOCK EU's migrant quota plans
HUNGARIAN Prime Minister Viktor Orban has proposed amending the country’s constitution to ban the European Union from settling migrants in the nation without Parliament’s approval.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposes constitution amendment to block EU's migrant quota
The country is among a group of former Communist nations, including the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, which all oppose the EU quotas imposed on member states in order to tackle the migrant crisis.
The union’s plans involve the settlement of 160,000 asylum seekers across the continent, 1,294 of which would be moved to Hungary from Italy and Greece.
Last year Hungary built a fence on its Serbian border to stop immigrants entering the country
But PM Orban, who has been a vocal critic of the scheme, said last week he would propose an amendment to Parliament today, which would come into place on November 8 if approved.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament, Mr Orban claimed the amendment would reflect the will of the 3.3 million voters who supported the governments opposition to the quotas in a referendum earlier this month.
He said: “There are 3.3 million people in Hungary who decided that they won’t allow anyone else to decide on… the matter of settlement and migrants.”
Hungary is taking the EU to the European Court of Justice
The country is also currently challenging the EU at the European Court of Justice over the policy, although Orban stated the potential constitution amendment would not apply retroactively to the court case.
It's uncertain whether opposition lawmakers would help pass the amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority to become law.