Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that the Hungarian people want Europe’s external borders to be closed, and the internal borders to remain open.
The prime minister made the remarks during his speech at the 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in Budapest on Wednesday.
PM Orbán said that those living in the region are aware of the geostrategic significance of the Danube Valley, as “those seeking to occupy a place in Europe have always come along this route, and Hungary has been the last line of defence […] for the West”.
The prime minister pointed out that there is a campaign to bring people to Europe. "First they test the strength of our borders, then they channel new population groups into Europe, en masse. This is followed by conflicts, and the next thing we know is that the newcomers are the majority, and eventually organising their own parallel state administration," he said.
PM Orbán added that he has faith in the Schengen system recovering in the near future “from its current comatose state”, as the greatest attraction of the EU is freedom of movement across its territory.
The prime minister also stressed that, compared with 2010, movement in the Danube Valley region has increased by 300 million tons of goods and 300 million people, and this necessitates further investment.
During his speech, the prime minister also spoke about the expansion of the European Union, saying that the EU’s more prosperous countries do not want further enlargement: “We, however, do want it," he said. "The goal is for every country in the Danube Valley to be a member of the European Union," he added.