The Hungarian government has announced that it opposes European Union plans to set up a new asylum agency because it would simplify and accelerate migration.
Csaba Dömötör, state secretary in the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, said the new EU agency would be tasked with making asylum procedures quicker and more efficient, which would practically make migration easier.
Borders must be protected and Europe must be able to stop illegal immigrants before they cross the border. Help should be taken to the troubled areas instead of bringing people over to Europe and Hungary, he said.
Dömötör said migration was the most important topic of the recently concluded “national consultation” survey in Hungary and it was “the umpteenth time” that Hungarian people expressed their wish not to receive illegal migrants and not to participate in the resettlement scheme.
There is incredible pressure on Europe from the Mediterranean region and the EC keeps pressing for settlement schemes instead of aiming to strengthen the borders, Dömötör said.
Hungary’s southern border seal has fulfilled expectations and the pressure of migration has eased but this situation can change at any moment. Analysts in Germany have estimated that around 6.6 million people are ready to set off for Europe, he added.