He recalled that since the start of the migration crisis in 2015, Hungary’s border fence and strengthened border protection have prevented more than one million illegal migrants from unlawfully entering the EU.
Bakondi noted that a decade ago many Western countries still believed in the positive impact of migration on the labor market and expected smooth integration of arrivals. “Time has proven otherwise,” he stressed, listing social welfare strains, terrorist attacks, gang violence, integration failures, deteriorating public safety, and rising cases of violence against women as consequences of mass migration.
The advisor underlined that these developments have shifted public opinion and political decision-making, pointing out that even European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen now acknowledges the need to better finance external border protection.
Despite this, Hungary has not received any EU support for guarding its southern frontier, Bakondi said. Instead, Brussels expects the country to accept migrants, process their claims quickly, and provide for them in camps. “This is an impossible demand,” he argued, noting that many arrivals cannot be classified as refugees, and their origins are often unverifiable, making deportations impossible.
He emphasized that this EU stance stems from federalist ambitions to weaken nation-states and push toward a “United States of Europe.” By contrast, he said, the strengthening of nationalist, patriot parties across Europe signals that Brussels may eventually be forced to revise its migration policies.
Commenting on political debates in other EU states, Bakondi pointed to Spain, where migration tensions have led to sharp disputes in parliament. He noted that Spain is a main route of illegal migration into Europe, prompting the construction of fences and cooperation with Morocco. Similarly, France continues to struggle with migrant encampments and growing public unrest.
Regarding current migration pressures, Bakondi warned that the Sahel region in Africa—plagued by hunger and armed conflicts—has lost much of its capacity to hold back migration flows, leading to ever larger groups setting their sights on Europe. “The EU must work to restore the role of this region in curbing migration at its source,” he stressed.