Hungarian FM to discuss migration policy with Italian counterpart

Libyan stability is key to stopping illegal migration to the European Union, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Monday before talks with Luigi di Maio, his Italian counterpart.

Szijjártó told MTI the coronavirus pandemic was likely to trigger new waves of migration, and Libya presents the highest risk because of the ability of migrants to pass freely through its territory towards Europe. Its stability would help to keep illegal migration in check, he said.

Boosting the Libyan coast guard is therefore a shared objective, he said.

Failing that, “tens or even hundreds of thousands” of migrants may make their way to Europe, posing health and economic risks as well as cultural and security challenges, he said.

The jobs lost in Europe — and especially in Italy — due to the coronavirus pandemic render earlier arguments that migrants would be beneficial for the labour market “illogical and empty”, Szijjártó said.

European governments and politicians should prioritize helping Europeans, and currently that involves pushing back against migrants targeting European jobs, he added.

Italy is on the frontline of that fight, he said, and has so far received three times as many migrants in 2020 as it did in 2019, he said.

• Foreign minister Szijjártó: Migration serious health hazard

Regarding economic ties, Szijjártó noted that

Italy is Hungary’s fifth largest trading partner, with trade exceeding 10 billion euros last year.

The Hungarian Eximbank has opened a 450 million euro credit line to help Hungarian companies exporting to Italy, he said.

On the topic of tourism, Szijjártó said the two countries coordinated continuously. Last year, some 550,000 Hungarians travelled to Italy, and

Wizz Air is resuming flights to seven Italian cities from July,

he noted. Travellers should continue to exercise caution, however, he warned.

Source: MTI