Publication

This paper examines Hungary’s recently completed referendum on the EU immigrant quota system, focusing particularly on its legal controversies and potential political implications. Basically, constitutional lawyers continue to doubt the referendum’s legitimacy, especially since it originated in the Hungarian parliament and is therefore not legally binding at the EU level. Regardless of its legal ambiguity, the text’s author argues that the referendum may harbor some political significance – i.e., it could influence domestic policy and encourage other EU member states to conduct similar referendums in order to present a unified front.