A “national consultation” on the European Union’s sanctions against Russia was launched in Hungary on Friday. “We believe that the sanctions are destroying us,” said the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban on its Facebook page when the questionnaire was published.
The questionnaire was sent to eight million families in the country. The Hungarians are presented with a total of seven questions, such as “Do you approve sanctions that will increase food prices”, which will “increase the risk of famine in developing countries” and “migration pressure” on Europe’s borders.
Other questions deal with measures against the Russian energy sector. This concerns both sanctions that have been approved, such as the import ban on Russian oil via tankers, and possible sanctions that have only been discussed so far, such as an import ban on Russian gas.
Good relations
Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government has been careful to maintain good relations with Moscow to safeguard supplies. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was still in the Russian capital on Thursday to participate in an energy forum, despite the stance of his European partners.
The European sanctions are approved by the 27 member states, including Hungary. It does not alter the fact that Orban has been lashing out against these measures for months. In a radio interview on Friday morning, he denounced the sanctions decided by “a European elite, in a non-democratic way”.
“National Consensus”
With the poll, Orban wants to create “a national consensus”. Citizens have until December 9 to answer the questions. The consultation has no legal value. The government often uses the method, for example to denounce European migration policy, or the payment of allowances to prisoners or the Roma.
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