Hungary’s foreign minister has said there are 15 million refugees and people in need of humanitarian aid living in the immediate vicinity of Europe.
“There is a special responsibility on the shoulders of the parties negotiating the UN’s migration package and the EU reform of the Dublin Regulation, because if the idea that migration is good and should be encouraged wins out, then the 15 million internal refugees and people in need of humanitarian aid living in the immediate vicinity of the European Union could easily decide to set out for Europe,” Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said.
Minister Szijjártó said this could mean an unmanageable security threat for the European Union, and accordingly Hungary will be submitting proposals with regard to both the UN’s migration package and the reform of the Dublin Regulation.
“We will be objecting to and vetoing any and all proposals that would prescribe or establish admittance quotas or mechanisms either directly or indirectly,” the minister said.
According to MTI, the government is also stressing the fact that border protection must be strictly maintained, and illegally crossing a border must be regarded as a serious crime and sanctioned accordingly.
“Security comes first, and this cannot be disregarded or put in brackets. It is the responsibility of the European Union to guarantee the security of European citizens and the countries of Europe,” Minister Szijjártó added.
“In addition, a strict expulsion policy must be applied; people who entered Europe illegally and who are here unlawfully must be urgently sent back to where they came from,” he added.
“The adoption of Hungary’s recommendations would guarantee Europe’s security, while in its current form the Dublin reform and the UN’s global migration proposal would endanger Europe,” the minister concluded.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s economy minister said that migration cannot be used as a solution to solving the saturated jobs market.
Mihály Varga said employment has improved markedly since 2010 in Hungary, with the number of people with a job growing by some 750,000 and the unemployment rate has fallen by two-thirds.