The Hungarian government has stated that it is at a loss as to why the European Commission "mixes” the fate of the Cohesion Funds serving economic development purposes with the issue of immigration.
Janos Lázár, the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, made the remarks during the government's weekly press briefing. He added that the government is ready to engage in talks with the European Commission over their request for a contribuiton to border protection expenses.
Lázár said the EU makes every effort to protect the rights of illegal immigrants but does nothing in the interest of the protection of the borders.
"The Commission should not only oversee the fulfilment of the obligations related to immigration, but should also take the security of the EU’s citizens into consideration," the minister said.
In regards to the cohesion funds, the countries concerned only received a part of the funds as a considerable proportion of the money goes back to the contributing Member States, he said.
As an example, the minister cited a statement made by one of the Commissioners, based on which 80 percent of the funds sent here goes back to Germany. This money has nothing to do with the issue of immigration, he said.