Szijjártó: Collapse of Schengen risks plunging Europe into economic turmoil

London, February 8 (MTI) – The collapse of the Schengen system of open borders risks plunging Europe into fresh economic turmoil, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told conservative British paper The Daily Telegraph on Sunday.

“If the Schengen zone is going to be demolished or destroyed, then it will cause such serious economic damage that I don’t know how Europe is going to handle it”, he said.

Szijjarto said that Schengen is based on two elements, that is a lack of internal border control and protection to the EU’s external boundaries. If the latter is neglected, the former element could be broken “very easily”, he said.

Szijjarto criticised Greece for its failure to set up hotspots to register the hundreds of thousands of people that have arrived on its shores.

The minister warned that retaining the Schengen regime is crucial in preventing Europe’s defeat in the global race of regional powers.

“The US is very strong, China has extensive economic policy, Arab states are getting stronger, and we Europeans are deeply into our own problems,” he said.

You can read The Daily Telegraph’s article HERE.

Photo: MTI

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