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News in Brief

Here are the new international travel restrictions relating to countries classified as green, yellow and red

Jul 15, 2020

Here are the specific rules for international travel to Hungary.

News in Brief

Foreign Minister calls for strengthening the EU's external borders

Jul 14, 2020

The foreign minister said the coronavirus pandemic may lead to new waves of migration.

News in Brief

Government introduces new international travel restrictions

Jul 13, 2020

The operative board in charge of containing the epidemic has advised the government to classify countries as “red”, “yellow” and “green”, based on the severity of the situation in each.

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Non-EU citizens not allowed entry to Hungary just yet

Jul 03, 2020

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that as the EU opens up travel to Europe for the citizens of 14 countries outside of the bloc, Hungary will keep its borders closed for the time being.

News in Brief

Coronavirus Update: Home quarantine rules relaxed for many new countries

Jun 11, 2020

Róbert Kiss, Lieutenant Colonel of the Hungarian Police Force, reported today that people can now enter Hungary from the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia and from Friday Croatia without the need for compulsory home quarantine.

Blog

Operational Group: All Schengen borders are open

Jun 09, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Border control at all Schengen internal borders has been abolished. Meanwhile, the decision on the resumption of normal healthcare will be made later today.

Blog

Operational Group: More than 95,000 jobs have already been saved

May 19, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

In the past two weeks, more than 2,700 companies have applied to the government’s wage subsidy program, saving tens of thousands of jobs nationwide. Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues to spread the fastest in Budapest.

Blog

Coronavirus UPDATE – PM Orbán: Hungary not allowing Serbian arrivals from Italy

Mar 15, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

“Hungary is still not in a position to permit entrance to anyone coming from Italy, including those Serbian citizens who want to return to Serbia,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a video on his Facebook page.

News in Brief

Coronavirus Update: Hungary reestablishes border controls with neighboring countries

Mar 12, 2020

Hungary will reestablish border controls with neighboring Slovenia and Austria as part of its state of emergency measures. Croatia may soon follow suit.

News in Brief

PM Orbán strengthens Hungarian border

Mar 02, 2020

The prime minister convened his security cabinet and reviewed security reports, deciding to continue to pursue all measures that protect the border and the Hungarian people.

Blog

Sie haben das Recht zu wissen: einige in Brüssel denken, dass unsere nationalen Grenzen ein bedauerliches Hindernis für die Einwanderung darstellen

Feb 28, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Haben Sie gemerkt, wie die Bürokraten von Brüssel von „Grenzverwaltung” statt „Grenzschutz” oder „Grenzverteidigung” sprechen? Dies ist kein Zufall. Das lässt einen grundsätzlichen Unterschied in unserem Ansatz zu Migration erkennen. Für die Vertreter der migrationsfreundlichen Lobby ist Einwanderung ein positives Ergebnis und die nationalen Grenzen sind die Hindernisse.

News in Brief

Burgenland re-opens four border crossings between Austria and Hungary

Jan 17, 2019

The Austrian state closed 35 out of its 60 border crossings to Hungary in October 2018, but an agreement has now been reached to re-open four

News in Brief

V4 to help Tunisia "beef up" its border controls

Dec 03, 2018

V4 foreign ministers have agreed to set up an assistance program for North African countries aimed at developing border control capacities with a view to withstanding illegal migration

News in Brief

Hungarian police catch 23 illegal entrants as 70,000 migrants head for Europe

Oct 29, 2018

Hungary has 1,200 soldiers standing by, ready to be deployed along the border within 24 hours, and another 1,100 within 72 hours

News in Brief

Government reinforces controls along Hungary’s southern border after 70,000 migrants head north

Oct 26, 2018

Citing interior ministry information, Gergely Gulyás said the thousands of migrants were some 70 kilometers south of the country and Hungary has offered Croatia help in handling the crisis

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: The Hungarian government will not give up its right to control the country’s borders

Sep 18, 2018

“We will not allow anyone to take away one iota of our border control rights,” PM Orbán said during his address at the opening of parliament’s autumn session on Monday

News in Brief

Spain and Greece don't maintain Schengen border controls, says security advisor

Aug 14, 2018

György Bakondi says other member states are compelled to maintain controls in the interest of their countries' security.

News in Brief

Ahmed H has appeal trial set for September 20th

Jun 12, 2018

Ahmed H was sentenced in the Szeged Court of Justice in March to seven years in prison and expelled from Hungary for 10 years

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán calls for EU to protect and uphold the Schengen Agreement

Oct 16, 2017

The prime minister said Hungary’s and the V4 standpoint on the EU can be summarized by stating that if we want to move forward, we shouldn’t begin by stepping backwards

News in Brief

Hungarian government expects further legal disputes with European Commission

Sep 07, 2017

“The decision on the mandatory resettlement quota expires on September 26, and further legal disputes are expected concerning whether it must still be implemented following the deadline,' Bakondi said

Blog

An Egg Without a Shell, a Country Without Borders

Jul 10, 2017 - Mária Schmidt

European history is a history of invasions

News in Brief

Europe is facing the greatest threat of terrorism of all time

Jun 20, 2017

Minister Szijjártó said that due to the threat of terrorism "clear speech and determined action are required in the interests of protecting the people of Europe. Recent events have shown that previous integration models have failed and there are huge tensions in European societies"

News in Brief

Hungary says European Parliament should review measures that exonerate terrorists

Jun 08, 2017

“International and European Union organizations must provide concrete replies to the question of whether a terrorist can be exonerated," Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said

News in Brief

Europe is in the "eleventh hour" when it comes to acting on security

May 31, 2017

“Europe no longer has any time to lose; after the terrorist attack in Manchester, it should be clear to everyone that we are in the eleventh hour when it comes to Europe’s security," Hungary's foreign minister said

News in Brief

Hungary reluctant to relax laws surrounding illegal immigration

May 30, 2017

Hungary's government spokesperson has said that the country is staunchly against any attempt to relax the existing legal framework surrounding the issue of illegal migration

News in Brief

Europe is facing a migrant crisis, not a refugee crisis

Mar 20, 2017

Hungary is not in breach of European and international laws on refugees, no fundamental human right exists that states everyone is free to choose in which country they want to live

News in Brief

94 asylum-seekers launch hunger strike until they are set free

Mar 14, 2017

Hungary's asylum office said that most of those in the reception center in the southeastern city of Békéscsaba were being held because they broke European Union asylum rules

News in Brief

Hungary's border fence is protecting the European Union

Mar 07, 2017

The new secondary line of defense, stretching for 150 kilometers, will enable the border to be monitored using CCTV and thermal cameras, and other technological equipment

News in Brief

Hungary extends national state of emergency in response to growing migrant crisis

Mar 03, 2017

Hungary's state of emergency will run until September 7. The reason to keep it in place is that 800,000 people stuck in the Balkans are unable to return to Turkey

News in Brief

Hungary forges partnership with Croatia to patrol borders of the two nations

Feb 21, 2017

Hungary and Croatia will work together to increase security without putting an extra burden on residents of the two countries. Border crossers will be checked regardless of whether they are entering or leaving the country

News in Brief

Hungarian prosecutor calls for tougher sentence for migrant kicking camerawoman

Jan 17, 2017

A Hungarian court sentenced Petra László to three years’ probation for disorderly conduct. If she does not commit another offense during that period, the conviction will be dropped

News in Brief

Hungary calls for open borders within the Schengen zone

Jan 16, 2017

“If Schengen dies, the open economy will also die," warns Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

News in Brief

Mystery illness knocks out 110 policemen at Southern border

Jan 06, 2017

The symptoms of the disease are acute stomach and intestine system problems mainly nausea, vomiting, stomach ache and cold shivers

Blog

Frontex prepares for everything but border protection

Nov 21, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

“These people aren’t involved in border protection,” said Prime Minister Orbán of the newly established Frontex unit proposed to the management board. Frontex, of course, is the EU agency that was set up to manage cooperation among national border guards and help secure the EU’s external border. The problem with the proposed, new unit is that it is for anything but guarding European borders and coastlines. Plus, it is ridiculously weak in numbers.

News in Brief

Ambassador Bell: The US should not criticize Hungary's immigration policies

Nov 21, 2016

We have not seen such a serious migration crisis since the Second World War, Ambassador Bell said

News in Brief

Reports of brutality by Hungarian police towards migrants are untrue

Oct 21, 2016

"The people who wrote these [reports] have not been to Hungary, or if they did they are lying," the minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Hungary’s border policy protects European freedom

Oct 20, 2016

PM Orbán said that his government’s stance on mass migration was a positive move to defend the values of European civilization

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Without Hungary "Europe would have fallen" by now

Sep 29, 2016

Concerning the October 2 referendum on EU mandatory migrant quotas, the prime minister said that not just Hungary's but also Europe’s future would be at stake on Sunday

News in Brief

PM Orbán: The EU's forced migration quotas would change Hungary

Sep 28, 2016

Prime Minister Orbán said that while the left considers the matter of migrant redistribution an ideological one, the government considers it a national security issue

News in Brief

Amnesty's claims that Hungary mistreats migrants is unfounded

Sep 28, 2016

The human rights organization had said that attacks against migrants and refugees had become common practice in Hungary. Károly Kontrát dismissed these claims as “completely untrue"

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Egypt could add to migrant crisis

Sep 26, 2016

The prime minister told EU leaders at a summit in Vienna over the weekend that an agreement should be drafted with Egypt similar to the existing one with Turkey in order to avoid further pressures from the migrant crisis

News in Brief

Hungary will refuse entry to returning migrants who did not enter EU in Hungary

Sep 22, 2016

It would be “unfair” if Hungary “rather than the rich Scandinavian countries” had to accommodate these people

News in Brief

Austria begins plans to erect fence along Hungarian border

Sep 21, 2016

Meanwhile, George Soros, the Hungarian billionaire venture capitalist, announced he intends to invest 500 million USD in aiding migrants and refugees

Speeches and Remarks Prime Minister

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s press statement by the Bulgarian-Turkish border [full text in English]

Sep 15, 2016

September 14, 2016, Lesovo (Лесoвo)

News in Brief

PM Orbán: "Europe's future is not forged in Brussels"

Sep 14, 2016

During a border inspection at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, PM Orbán stated that the European Union must listen to the people rather than abide by decisions made in Brussels

News in Brief

EU will "face consequences" if they ignore Hungary's referendum

Sep 14, 2016

Brussels must respect the people of Hungary’s decision when they vote in the Brexit-inspired referendum on whether to accept migrants under EU quota schemes

News in Brief

PM Orbán to inspect Bulgarian border

Sep 13, 2016

In view of the increasing migration pressure, Orbán will be holding a joint inspection of the border with his Bulgarian counterpart Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Wednesday morning

News in Brief

Over one hundred illegal immigrants arrested over weekend

Sep 12, 2016

144 illegal immigrants were arrested in Hungary over the weekend and 280 were detained last week

News in Brief

Hungary's future depends on October 2 referendum

Sep 12, 2016

The existence of our culture, system of values and millennial statehood is at stake in the October 2 referendum

News in Brief

Hungary will only take back migrants who entered the EU through its country

Sep 08, 2016

The decline in the number of illegal migrants arriving in Austria is thanks to stricter border protection in Hungary

News in Brief

Hungarian camerawoman who kicked migrants is charged

Sep 07, 2016

News in Brief

Hungary will help Serbia protect borders against migrant surge

Sep 06, 2016

PM Orbán described an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on stopping mass migration as "fragile"

News in Brief

Czech Republic sends fifty police officers to help patrol Hungarian-Serbian border

Sep 06, 2016

The Czech policemen are assisting Hungary’s border protection efforts as part of a Visegrad Four cooperation initiative

News in Brief

Hungary is prepared for the immigration problem

Sep 02, 2016

A new fence is to be erected on the Hungarian-Serbian border, new police personnel, and army presence ensure Hungary's full security

News in Brief

New border patrols begin today

Sep 01, 2016

Illegal migrants are keeping the Hungarian borders under constant pressure and an average of one hundred people per day are aggressively attempting to enter Hungary illegally

News in Brief

History proves that Hungary must be protected against new threats

Aug 29, 2016

The minister of defense referred to the challenges posed by mass migration and terrorism, stating that “we must do our best to protect the borders of our country and the security of the people of Hungary”

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Hungary will build new fences to defend its border

Aug 26, 2016

There may soon be a "greater need for security" and the fortified barrier would be able to stop "several hundreds of thousands of people"

News in Brief

Hungarian authorities are helping the fight against Islamic extremists

Aug 24, 2016

There have been a number of cases where extremists have been smuggled through Europe into Middle Eastern war zones

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Hungary is protecting its borders one hundred percent

Aug 24, 2016

Despite positive relations with Turkey, Hungary will not allow access to the threatened numbers of migrants from Ankara

News in Brief

Migrant Crisis: Hungary welcomes international guest police officers

Aug 05, 2016

151 international guest officers have been received this year and 42 are staying in Hungary at the moment

News in Brief

One hundred migrants on hunger strike at Hungarian border

Jul 28, 2016

Illegal immigrants are demanding that Hungary open its border to allow them passage, and a further 100 asylum seekers are planning to join the protests but police are blocking their path

News in Brief

Hungary's border protection is fair, efficient and effective

Jul 28, 2016

Hungary maintains its fair, just and legal handling of migrants who seek asylum, and they will be dealt with in a fair, appropriate and humane manner

News in Brief

Hungarian government sends its condolences to France following ISIS attack

Jul 27, 2016

Terrorism can only be prevented by stopping illegal migration, which is why Hungary protects its own and the European Union’s external borders

News in Brief

Hundreds of illegal immigrants march on Hungarian border

Jul 25, 2016

More than 300 illegal immigrants are making a 200km trek to try and gain entry to Hungary

News in Brief

Europe must improve security to avoid terrorist attacks

Jul 19, 2016

Europe has proven to be defenseless in several respects and must be protected at all costs