"I don’t think I need to comment on that," deputy chief spokesman Alexander Winterstein told reporters after he was asked about the Commission’s reaction.
Earlier today, the 199-seat Hungarian parliament voted 135-5 to call a referendum on EU’s binding refugee resettlement quotas, three months after it was first proposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. A turnout of over 50 percent is required in order for the referendum to be valid.
"What I am certainly aware of is that there is a binding decision by the [European] Council to have this relocation system in place so that’s a fact, it’s part of the EU law," he said, adding the Commission will monitor how the plan is enforced EU-wide.
Under the mandatory quotas, Hungary is expected to take in 2,300 refugees over the next two years or face harsh penalties to the amount of 250,000 euros ($287,000) per immigrant, a sum that left Prime Minister Orban "speechless," according to his confession last week.
