The Hungarian government, along with ballots for a "survey" of Hungarians about Ukraine's membership in the EU, has spread its counterarguments, which are based on manipulation and outright lies.
Points of attention
- The Hungarian government is spreading false arguments and manipulation tactics to create a negative perception of Ukraine's accession to the EU among Hungarians.
- The counterarguments provided by Budapest lack scientific support and are based on blatant lies, aiming to influence public opinion.
- Ukraine's adoption of European norms is a requirement for EU accession, debunking claims such as the threat of the Ukrainian mafia infiltrating Europe, as presented by the Hungarian government.
Orban is being manipulated on the issue of Ukraine's accession to the EU
Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs announced on March 29 that Hungarians had begun sending out ballots for a "survey" along with an information sheet outlining seven "risks" of Ukraine's accession to the EU from Budapest's perspective.
The first risk is that in the event of Ukraine's membership, Hungary will allegedly lose EU funding, "and all the money will go to Ukraine" (why "all" is not explained).
In addition, Brussels is calling for huge joint borrowing, which indicates that we will all become debtors together due to Ukraine's accession, says the Hungarian government video (which also does not explain what kind of borrowing is involved and how it is related to Ukraine).
Other "risks", according to Hungary, are related to the fact that Ukraine is a huge producer of agricultural products, so after accession "all EU funds will go to Ukrainian farmers", and the European market will be "open to low-quality, genetically modified Ukrainian goods".
At the same time, the Hungarian government ignores the fact that accession to the European Union requires Ukraine to adopt all European norms, including in the field of agriculture, so this statement is a blatant lie.
The Hungarian government spokesman also claims, without evidence, that Ukraine was "the center of drug trafficking and organized crime in Eastern Europe" even "before the war," so "accession to the EU will open the way for the Ukrainian mafia to enter Europe, and therefore Hungary."
Budapest's other arguments are that after Ukraine joins the EU, Ukrainians, as a cheap labor force, will "threaten jobs and pensions" in the European Union.
Ukrainians will also threaten public health because "there is no mandatory vaccination in Ukraine" (in fact, there is mandatory vaccination in Ukraine), and "Ukraine's hasty accession to the EU" will jeopardize the payment of the so-called 13th pension by the Orban government.
Such polls do not actually have legal force, and only a small percentage of Hungarian voters (up to 30%) actually participate in them. At the same time, Orbán's government often refers to the results of such polls as evidence that its policies have public support.
