The European Commission proposal for providing further help – Hungarian reactions

Budapest, September 9 (MTI) – Europe’s leaders should send a clear message to third countries that the continent cannot receive immigrants by the millions, the deputy group leader of ruling Fidesz told a press conference on Wednesday. Jobbik’s deputy group leader, said the EC president’s proposals were “baffling”.

FIDESZ

Gergely Gulyas spoke in reaction to an European Commission proposal, under which EU members should take over 54,000 refugees from Hungary.

The Visegrad Group have the unanimous position that negotiating quotas is pointless before Europe can stop the influx of immigrants, Gulyas said.

Those who are not eligible for political asylum, must be returned, Gulyas said, and insisted that the mere idea of creating immigration routes was “detrimental”. He noted that refugee status is to be granted in the first safe country an asylum-seeker enters, and they have no free choice between countries to settle. Refugees could equally be safe in Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia or Hungary, but their determination to get to Germany shows that “the vast majority” comes in the hopes of a better life, he insisted. “This is understandable from a humane point of view, but the tendency jeopardises the existence of the whole of Europe; Europe has Christian roots, which must be maintained,” Gulyas added. Unless immigration is restricted, “parallel societies will form, and we do not need that”, he said. Concerning transit zones to be built along the border, Gulyas said they would be set up on Hungarian territory and would be open in the direction of Serbia.

Jobbik

The radical nationalist Jobbik party said that Jean-Claude Juncker is “trying to kill Europe”. Daniel Z. Karpat, the party’s deputy group leader, said the EC president’s proposals were “baffling”. Z. Karpat said that by calling for EU member states to grant refugees the right to work, Juncker revealed that “he wants to keep illegal migrants in Europe forever”. He warned of a scenario in which the “central countries pick out talented migrants to keep for themselves and using a quota system distribute the ones who nobody wants among the periphery countries”. Z. Karpat said that if the government “does not make it clear” that Hungary rejects the quota system, his party will initiate a referendum on the matter.

Socialists

The Socialist Party applauded the commission’s proposal for providing further help for frontier member states, but called for an “immediate review” of the Dublin Agreement. Lawmaker Tamas Harangozo said the agreement “lays all the work and responsibility on frontier states while it has become unenforceable”. Harangozo called on the EU to offer member states more than just financial aid to protect their borders. He said the EU needed to make immediate decisions to increase living standards in countries of origin so that “no one is forced to leave their homeland”.

Liberals

The Liberal Party praised Juncker for “taking a stand against hate” and said that the president’s proposals are “the direct opposite of” those of the “Orban regime”. The party said that instead of sealing off borders, the EC is aiming to find a transparent way of taking in those fleeing from war.

Photo: Balazs Beli

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