BUDAPEST, April 18. /TASS/. Ukraine's accession to the European Union will open the door to Ukrainian organized crime to Europe and boost illegal arms and drug trafficking, the Hungarian government said, while a referendum was held in the country on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
It has published a list of risks in various areas that Ukraine's hasty admission to the union entails on its website. The section "Risks to public safety" notes that "even before the war, Ukraine was one of the centers of drug trafficking and organized crime in Eastern Europe. There is a great danger that some of the weapons that entered Ukraine during the war will end up in the hands of criminals. Joining the EU will open the way for the Ukrainian mafia to Europe and Hungary," the government warned.
The "Financial Risks" section says that if Ukraine joins the EU, "union’s funds owed to Hungary will go to Ukraine. Also, Brussels is preparing to take out a huge joint loan, which it will spend on the functioning of the Ukrainian state. This debt will be repaid with interest by the member countries, including Hungary. Thus, Ukraine's membership in the EU will cost each Hungarian family hundreds of thousands of forints annually," the government believes.
Speaking about agricultural risks, it noted that "the area of arable land in Ukraine is one third of the area of arable land in the European Union. With Ukraine's accession, the EU's agricultural subsidy system will change. Hungarian farmers will lose subsidies that will go entirely to the Ukrainian agriculture," the government said.
Risks in four other areas
The risks for the labor market are of serious concern in Hungary. "With Ukraine's accession to the EU, many millions of Ukrainians will be able to find jobs freely in the European countries. Massive cheap Ukrainian labor will endanger the jobs and salaries of the Hungarian people," the cabinet believes.
It also fears that "with the accession of Ukraine, millions of Ukrainian pensioners will be eligible for Hungarian pensions. This will be possible thanks to an agreement concluded during the Soviet Union, to which Ukraine has since been unwilling to introduce changes. This puts at risk the payment of pensions and the preservation of the 13th pension in Hungary," government experts say.
In their opinion, there are "risks to food safety" at the same time. "In Ukraine, the cultivation of genetically modified plants is allowed, which may also contain chemicals harmful to health. They cannot be imported to Hungary now. Ukraine's membership in the EU will change this situation," the experts explained.
Public health will also be at serious risk. "If Ukraine joins the EU, millions of Ukrainians will be able to use the Hungarian healthcare system. In Ukraine, some vaccinations that are necessary in Hungary are not considered mandatory. This will endanger Hungary's public health," reads the statement on the cabinet's website.
The Hungarian government openly opposes Ukraine's hasty admission to the European Union, believing that this will undermine the security of the entire community and destroy its economy, including agriculture. At the referendum, conducted by mailing questionnaires, Hungarian citizens will have to answer the question of whether they support Ukraine's accession to the EU. Participation in the referendum is voluntary, but the government intends to be guided by its results in consultations with Brussels.