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News in Brief

Hungarian government to prioritize security, economic growth and family support in 2020

Jan 02, 2020

One of the government’s top priorities this year will be to protect the Hungarian economy and maintain its growth trajectory. The government will launch a new economic protection action plan accordingly.

News in Brief

Chief Security Advisor: Migration pressure has increased at Hungary’s southern border

Dec 19, 2019

György Bakondi said the Balkan route had witnessed in December the most intense migration activity since the start of the migrant crisis.

Blog

Ahmed H. bound for Cyprus. Does this mark the end to this unfortunate saga?

Sep 28, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Ahmed H., the convicted leader of a violent mob of immigrants that tried to storm the Hungarian-Serbian border in 2015, can now return to Cyprus. Hopefully, with this latest, the story finally comes to a close, but let’s not forget what really happened here and what this case means.

News in Brief

Border agencies detained more than 700 illegal migrants at the Hungarian-Serbian border in January

Feb 05, 2019

“Tight border control is where the stability of Hungary’s domestic security starts,” György Bakondi said

News in Brief

FM: The government will not retreat and it will make every effort to protect Hungary’s security

Oct 09, 2018

Minister Szijjártó said the people of Europe will decide who wins the battle at next year’s European parliamentary elections

News in Brief

Syrian man charged with “acts of terrorism” sentenced to five years in prison

Sep 21, 2018

Ahmed H charged with illegal border crossing and complicity in “acts of terrorism”

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

Blog

Hey, POLITICO Europe, you left out some important details – like really important details – about the Ahmed H. incident

Mar 06, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

When POLITICO Europe published that story this morning on the retrial of a man facing charges in Hungary after an attack on Hungarian border guards, the reporter and editors left a lot out of the story.

News in Brief

Hungary’s border fence guarantees the country’s security and stands as a symbol of the fight against illegal migration, says state secretary

Feb 13, 2018

Without the border fence, Hungary would have remained on the main route of migration and hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants would be arriving even today, making the country vulnerable to the consequences of migration, Csaba Dömötör said

News in Brief

Hungary says it will do everything in its power to close all loopholes open to illegal migration

Feb 06, 2018

Zoltán Kovács said that in Hungary’s experience, “self-proclaimed” charity or human rights organizations “operate according to a very different kind of political agenda”

News in Brief

Parliament to decide on "Stop Soros" legislative package in February

Jan 19, 2018

János Lázár, the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, said the government believes it is important that organizations involved in organizing and facilitating illegal immigration with funding from abroad should operate in a more transparent manner

News in Brief

Hungary rejects the fact that we should have to live with terrorism, says foreign minister

Dec 05, 2017

“Terrorism didn’t use to be part of everyday life in Europe, and Hungary rejects the fact that we should have to live with this, and that this is something natural," Hungary's foreign minister said. “We expect European institutions to finally take action with regard to this issue"

News in Brief

Hungary's supreme court finds dismissal in Ahmed H case unlawful

Nov 15, 2017

Hungary’s supreme court has ruled that a Szeged appeals court’s dismissal of a first-instance ruling and order of a retrial in the Ahmed H case is unlawful

News in Brief

Hungarian government allocates 51 billion HUF for border protection measures up until the end of 2017

Nov 10, 2017

The funds are to ensure that Hungary remains one of the safest countries in Europe and the World, and to protect the country from illegal immigrants

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Italy must be helped to protect its borders

Oct 20, 2017

PM Orbán suggested that to help Italy tackle migrants arriving from Africa, the establishment of a fund similar to the one previously set up for Turkey, where EU member states would contribute in a similar ratio, would be one solution

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Hungary is one of the safest countries in Europe

Oct 10, 2017

PM Orbán stressed that security will be one of the greatest values in Europe in the future. Not only the peaceful and predictable lives of families will depend on it but also Hungary’s performance and economic success

Blog

Hungary’s southern border fence has been protecting the frontier of Europe for two years

Oct 02, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

For two years now, Hungary’s border fence, border patrol forces and stricter laws have dramatically reduced the number of illegal crossings on Europe’s southern border. Our commitment to strong borders is just one of the ways that Hungary fulfills its legal obligations and stands in solidarity with Europe in times of crisis.

Blog

The New York Times editors really still don’t get it

Sep 11, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

“Hungary is making Europe’s migrant crisis worse,” according to the New York Times editorial board in an op-ed published over the weekend. How?

News in Brief

Hungary and Serbia come together to battle terrorism and the migrant crisis

Aug 22, 2017

“We will be further increasing the exchange of information between the Serbian and the Hungarian armed forces, so that we can counter illegal migration and terrorism more effectively," Hungary's defense minister said

News in Brief

President Áder says we must protect our borders because security is different to what it was ten years ago

Aug 21, 2017

“Every Hungarian citizen expects … our nation, home and personal lives to be safe and our freedom and independence to be protected in order to secure our common future,” President Áder said

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: “A nation that can’t protect its borders is non-existent”

Jul 21, 2017

“[O]r even if it exists today,” said Prime Minister Orbán, “it will vanish.” The prime minister, speaking during his regular radio interview this morning, was referring to the dangers of unchecked, illegal migration into Europe and the realization of the “Soros plan.”

News in Brief

The way Brussels deals with migrant crisis is endangering the European people

Jul 18, 2017

Hungary’s government proposes that the EU should scrap its mandatory migrant quota scheme, the foreign minister said, arguing that the EU is “unfit” to handle the migration crisis and only “aggravates” the situation

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

Hungary aims to be in top 10 of safest countries in the world

Jul 07, 2017

Hungary currently ranks 15 out of 163 countries in terms of safety

News in Brief

Deputy PM Semjén: We must stop migration to protect Hungary

Jun 29, 2017

Deputy PM said we must support Hungarian families, and we must reinforce Christian identity

News in Brief

Hungary says efforts must be made to maintain Europe's security

Jun 21, 2017

The Salzburg Forum agreed that members would help each other if need be in border protection operations under the coordination of Frontex, the EU’s border protection agency. The participants also agreed to support dispatching Frontex units in Serbia and Macedonia

Blog

Borders must be protected

Jun 20, 2017 - György Bakondi

The migration crisis has besieged Europe for two years, and the terms “migration” and “immigration” have taken on new meaning because of it.

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

PM Orbán: Hungary is proof that migration can be controlled effectively

Jun 19, 2017

PM Orbán said that unless a country has border control and “brave border police” there will be “no welfare, security, order or development just uncertainty, fear, chaos, anger and trucks driving into the people"

News in Brief

European left-wing groups rallying to the cause of a convicted terrorist

Jun 16, 2017

European left-wing groups have decided to side with Ahmed H. They are attempting to place him on a pedestal, and want to present him as the idealized refugee

Blog

Illegal Migration: What is going on in the Mediterranean Sea?

Jun 08, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

An interesting video surfaced recently in the deep corners of Youtube, a two-minute clip that uses open-source information on marine traffic to allegedly show how pro-migration NGO vessels are shuttling illegal migrants from the coast of Libya to Italy.

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

Hungary says the world is witnessing the birth of a new United States since President Trump came into power

Jun 07, 2017

Hungary's foreign minister said “we are living in a new world and a new world order”. It is “good news” for Hungary and the rest of the world that US President Donald Trump is putting national interests first

News in Brief

Hungarian authorities detain 123 migrants over past four days

Jun 01, 2017

Hungarian police revealed that the offenders did not have passports or any form of identification, and were subsequently escorted back to the Serbian border

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's border fence is "not electrified"

May 15, 2017

Gyorgy Bakondi, chief security advisor to the Prime Minister, confirmed that the fence was not electrified and such a move had never even been considered

News in Brief

Hungary says EU should focus on illegal immigrants rather than "pestering" EU citizens at border checks

May 10, 2017

The Hungarian government is temporarily suspending the implementation of the EU regulation on systematic border checks - and will instead be introducing targeted border checks

News in Brief

Hungary defends itself against migrant pressure from Brussels

May 04, 2017

Hungary does not wish to change its immigration regulations, and if the Brussels Commission launches legal proceedings the government is ready to fight the resulting legal battle

News in Brief

Hungarian police officers sent to Serbia and Macedonia to patrol borders

May 03, 2017

The police officers will be taking part in joint border defense operations with host countries, with 15 police staff traveling to Serbia and 30 to Macedonia

News in Brief

Hungary says it's about time Brussels grasped the facts

May 02, 2017

“We expect the Hungarians to be given the respect they have a right to and we draw the attention of the Brussels bureaucrats to the fact that while they are centered on Hungary, the country is defending the borders of the European Union from illegal immigration," the minister said

News in Brief

Hungary won't submit to political pressure but will debate legal issues with EU

May 02, 2017

Hungary is showing willingness to allow entry to migrants aged 14-18, but only following DNA testing that can definitively prove whether they are indeed members of the given age group

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Hungary's second line of defense will guarantee the security of Hungarians for a long time

Apr 28, 2017

The 155-kilometer long fortified fence which is being inaugurated today is up to the job of “keeping out any kind of mass of people," PM Orbán said during an interview on Radio Kossuth today

Blog

Outrageous: The New York Times compares migrants to the victims of the Holocaust

Apr 21, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

Right there on the front page of the print edition, no less.

News in Brief

Border security is the key to Hungary's homeland security

Apr 18, 2017

Hungary's chief security advisor made the remarks in light of more than eighty people who have started demonstrations in the locality of Röszke. Bakondi said that a "Soros organization” arrived at the scene with organized transport

News in Brief

Recent terror attacks emphasize the need for reinforced border

Apr 12, 2017

The number of attempts to illegally cross the border have fallen significantly since the stricter regulations were introduced and rather than undergoing checks and being identified, migrants are instead avoiding the Hungarian border and attempting to enter Europe via new routes

News in Brief

Hungary sends condolences to Sweden and Egypt following terrorist attacks

Apr 10, 2017

“Public safety in Europe has decreased significantly," György Bakondi said

News in Brief

Hungary complies with all EU regulations regarding the protection of external borders

Apr 07, 2017

Those crossing the border illegally will be granted decent conditions in transit zones in Tompa and Röszke, outside the south borders of Hungary

News in Brief

Hungary's police-trained “border rangers” set to aid army at borders

Apr 05, 2017

The number of soldiers defending Hungary’s southern border may be reduced once the 3,000-strong contingent of "border rangers" have been trained

News in Brief

Hungary's border reinforcements are "working well and without problems"

Apr 03, 2017

No one has been able to enter the territory of Hungary illegally since the legal border reinforcement because the authorities have prevented this, and the migrants who were apprehended in the interior of the country were accompanied back to the transit zones

News in Brief

PM Orbán: We are getting closer to a sensible migration policy in Europe

Mar 29, 2017

The prime minister said Hungary has closed all legal loopholes concerning migration and prepared itself for the possible failure of the migration deal between the EU and Turkey

News in Brief

Hungary's new migration policy has seen the number of attempted illegal entries fall dramatically

Mar 29, 2017

György Bakondi, the chief security advisor to the prime minister, said the double border fence and “legal border seal” have thwarted attempts to enter the country

News in Brief

The Helsinki Committee is attacking the reinforced legal border barrier

Mar 29, 2017

The Helsinki Committee is attacking the reinforced legal border barrier - during the course of its overzealous activities it is attacking non-existent container prisons using faulty legal reasoning, according to a statement released today by the Ministry of Interior.

News in Brief

PM Orbán congratulates Boyko Borisov on election win

Mar 28, 2017

PM Orbán said he is grateful for the excellent cooperation that he and his Bulgarian counterpart have developed in recent years, and he expressed the hope that he will soon be able to welcome Borisov again as head of the Bulgarian government

News in Brief

PM Orbán thanks Macedonia for their assistance in protecting Europe by keeping Balkans route sealed

Mar 21, 2017

The two leaders held talks at the Parliament building in Budapest on Monday, where they discussed building bilateral relations and the promotion of Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration

News in Brief

Hungary opens new border barracks

Mar 21, 2017

Hungary will open four new barracks. Each one is capable of housing 150 soldiers and will make Hungary’s border protection efforts more effective

News in Brief

PM Orbán says second border fence will protect Hungary from renewed migrant crisis

Mar 17, 2017

PM Orban said that Hungary's second border fence will keep out the largest of migrant crowds arriving from the direction of Turkey

News in Brief

Hungary declares that Brussels’ migration policy is a failure

Mar 17, 2017

According to Hungary's foreign minister, Brussels' migration policy is based on half-solutions and has failed. Turkey has suggested that it might terminate its agreement with the EU

News in Brief

Hungary rejects Council of Europe commissioner's claims that new migrant rules set a "bad example" for Europe

Mar 15, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, made the comments after Nils Muizniek claimed Hungary sets a "bad example" for the whole region

News in Brief

PM Orbán tells border patrols: "We are still under attack"

Mar 07, 2017

The pressure on Hungary’s borders will not cease in the next few years because millions more people are preparing to set off in the hope of a better life, PM Orbán said

News in Brief

Hungarian government "categorically rejects' claims of police brutality against migrants

Mar 07, 2017

The Hungarian government denies media reports which state refugees who made it to the Serbian-Hungarian border encountered incidents of violence by Hungarian authorities

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

Hungarian court convicts seven Syrian and Iraqi men for taking part in migrant riots

Mar 01, 2017

The Court of Appeal in the southern city of Szeged has convicted seven Syrian and Iraqi men for their role in a migrant riot at the Röszke border crossing in 2015

News in Brief

Hungary defends its now popular migrant policy during LIBE hearing

Feb 28, 2017

The Hungarian government expects political conflicts in connection with the second line of defense and Hungary’s new regulations because certain NGOs promote a political agenda at odds with protecting Europe

News in Brief

Hungary's secondary line of defense proves effective in stopping illegal migrants

Feb 27, 2017

Hungary's experiment with a second border fence along a 10-kilometer stretch of the Hungary-Serbia border has practically stopped all illegal border crossings on that section of the border

News in Brief

Hungary to build secondary line of defense along Serbian border

Feb 24, 2017

A “significant number” of illegal migrants could arrive in Hungary in 2017. The government will increase the budget of the interior ministry by 38 billion HUF (123.5m euros) to facilitate the construction of the second barrier

News in Brief

Hungarians should decide their future not Brussels

Feb 14, 2017

The Hungarian government wants the people to decide on issues that define their future rather than “Brussels sneaking in legislation”

News in Brief

Central and Southeastern European countries come together to tackle migrant crisis

Feb 09, 2017

Ministers from Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Hungary, as well as officials of the Central European Defense Cooperation, attended the talks

News in Brief

Hungarian government to place new bill before Parliament to reintroduce restrictions on the freedom of movement

Feb 08, 2017

János Lázár, the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, said that Hungary’s Strategic Cabinet has come to a decision on the amendment of the four acts required to reintroduce restrictions on the freedom of movement of migrants and the bill will soon be put before Parliament

News in Brief

Hungary's position of protecting the EU's borders and restoring law and order accepted by EU leaders

Feb 07, 2017

“Although the Hungarian government doesn’t like the border security fence”, it has proven to be effective, because it is capable of stopping, or at least slowing illegal immigration, Hungary's government spokesperson said

News in Brief

Hungary to send police to Serbia and Macedonia to patrol migration routes

Feb 06, 2017

According to Chief Police Commissioner Zsolt Halmosi there will be 15- and 25-person units patrolling in the interests of preventing and discovering attempts to illegally cross the borders

News in Brief

Migrant crisis could lead to border fences going up between EU member states

Jan 30, 2017

The migrant crisis could lead to a divided Europe where member states raise their own border fences to protect their nations

News in Brief

Migrant crisis worsens as largest number of illegal border crossers recorded over weekend

Jan 30, 2017

192 attempts to illegally cross the border were registered on Friday, of which 159 were prevented and 33 migrants were accompanied back across the border. On Saturday, 178 people tried to enter Hungary illegally

News in Brief

Hungarian police arrest two teenagers en route to join ISIS

Jan 16, 2017

György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, said the two women had been on their way to Damascus to join the Islamic State terrorist group

News in Brief

More Hungarian police contingents to carry out EU border patrols this year

Jan 10, 2017

During a month-long mission, 25 officers will carry out patrol tasks with their Macedonian colleagues on their border with Greece

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Migrant crisis depends on border protection

Dec 19, 2016

PM Orbán said the external borders must be protected; those who have entered must be returned; and those who want to enter must be guarded and screened for refugee status in territories outside the EU

News in Brief

Leaders of the V4 sign MoU on migration

Dec 16, 2016

The prime ministers of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia acknowledged that EU member states were closer to reaching a consensus on the need to protect the bloc’s external borders from migrant inflows

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Hungary's stance on immigration is becoming more widely acceptable in the EU

Dec 16, 2016

"Positions which were once condemned, despised, looked down upon and treated with contempt are becoming jointly-held positions," PM Orbán said

News in Brief

Syrian charged with attacking military guard at Röszke border point

Dec 13, 2016

Csongrád County’s prosecution office said the man is charged with carrying out a violent armed attack against a person on public duty

News in Brief

PM Orbán: Europe's fate once again depends on Bulgaria's southern border

Dec 01, 2016

The Bulgarian prime minister received the Civil Division of the Hungarian Order of Merit in recognition of his efforts to protect Europe’s southern borders, which are also crucial for Hungary’s and Europe's security

News in Brief

Syrian terrorist sentenced to ten years in prison

Dec 01, 2016

A Hungarian court convicted Ahmed Hamed of committing an "act of terror" by using violence to try to force police into letting in migrants

News in Brief

Migrant crisis is not easing

Nov 28, 2016

174 illegal border crossers were apprehended on the territory of Hungary between Friday and Sunday

News in Brief

Defense chief inspects the Hungarian-Serbian border

Nov 23, 2016

Several thousand soldiers patrol the border sections 24 hours a day, participating in search and sweep operations and securing the surveillance of the area of responsibility with UAVs and rotary-wing aircraft

News in Brief

Hungary bids farewell to Czech and Polish border patrols

Nov 01, 2016

25 Czech and Polish police officers and border guards have patrolled the Hungary-Serbia border since September

News in Brief

Hungarian police set off to protect Serbian-Bulgarian border

Oct 24, 2016

Since January 2016, 18,028 illegal border crossers have been apprehended along the external Schengen borders of Hungary

News in Brief

Terrorists used Hungary as a 'gateway into western Europe'

Oct 11, 2016

According to Hungary's center for counter-terrorism, ISIS set up a 'logistics hub' in Hungary in the summer of 2015 at the peak of the migrant crisis

Blog

Washington Post reporter lost in translation and bias

Oct 11, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

Earlier this month, the Washington Post published an article on page one with the enticing, clickable title, “Hungary intends to stop migrants with ‘hunters’ near border wall,” by their Berlin-based correspondent, Anthony Faiola. Unfortunately, he got a few things wrong.

News in Brief

Illegal immigrants surge toward Hungary chanting 'open the borders'

Oct 04, 2016

Some 150 migrants marched toward the Hungarian border about 120 miles north of the Serbian capital Belgrade

News in Brief

Hungary to send 20 police officers to patrol Serbian border

Oct 04, 2016

Hungary’s firm standpoint is that Serbia is prepared for European Union membership and it is in Hungary’s interest that Serbia should join as quickly as possible

News in Brief

Nearly 250 illegal immigrants arrested in the past week

Oct 03, 2016

108 illegal border crossers were apprehended within the territory of Hungary between Friday and Sunday alone

News in Brief

Hungary spends over 300 million euros on Schengen border fence

Oct 02, 2016

The cost of the border fence has been footed entirely by Hungary, without support from the EU, despite being hailed as the 'wall that saved Europe'

News in Brief

PM Orbán: 'Those who came illegally must be shipped out' then apply for asylum

Sep 22, 2016

The PM reiterated that the external borders of the EU must be strengthened to prevent a repeat of the 2015 flow of migrants

News in Brief

Hungary is open to helping genuine refugees

Sep 16, 2016

Five hundred people last year and three hundred so far this year have received political asylum in Hungary

News in Brief

Hungary's border fences are helping to keep illegal immigrants out of Europe

Sep 15, 2016

A new fence, electronic surveillance equipment and a paved road for border police are all part of Hungary's continuing efforts to stop the flow of migrants and refugees

News in Brief

Luxembourg foreign minister says Hungary should leave EU

Sep 13, 2016

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade for Hungary, says his Luxembourg counterpart had "long left the ranks of politicians who could be taken seriously" and was "patronising, arrogant and frustrated"