Hungarian foreign minister: “Mini-Schengen” unacceptable

Budapest, December 4 (MTI) – Hungary sees European plans to restrict the Schengen area of free movement as “unacceptable” since countries that have “bent over backwards” to enforce Schengen regulations would be cast out, the foreign minister said on Friday.

Speaking on public news television M1, Peter Szijjarto said countries that “encouraged migrants to disregard the Schengen rules and enter” were conspiring to shrink the Schengen zone.

The “mini-community” set up by Germany, the Benelux states, Austria, and possibly France, would exclude those countries that have used every means to meet Schengen requirements, he insisted.

Greece cannot meet Schengen criteria, Szijjarto said. He said whereas it was not easy to control several thousand kilometres of borders crossed by “6,000-10,000 illegal migrants” each day, Greece should have applied for European Union help.

Szijjarto said there was a real danger that the Schengen border will be shifted from Greece’s southern border to the north, because Macedonia has stepped up controls along its border with Greece. “Non-EU member Macedonia has demonstrated its commitment to protecting Europe and the European Union,” Szijjarto said, added however that the “best solution” would be to protect the EU’s southern border by setting up an European force for the purpose.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters