House speaker discusses Europe’s challenges with PACE president

Budapest, April 4 (MTI) – House Speaker László Kövér on Monday discussed various challenges facing Europe with the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Budapest, parliament’s press office told MTI.

Kövér said failure to properly address Europe’s migration crisis and combat the rise of terrorism and extremism could not only lead to the collapse of the European Union, but may also destabilise the democracies making up the bloc.

The speaker noted that Hungary had consistently held the same stance on the migrant crisis in the Council of Europe since its emergence, namely that asylum seekers should be taken in or turned away based on international conventions, the European Union’s external borders should be protected and that member states must adhere to the Schengen rules.

Hungary will use all its resources in its contribution to international efforts against terrorism, Kövér said.

Pedro Agramunt, who is on his first official international visit since his election to the PACE presidency on January 25, noted that Hungary in 1990 was the first of the former East Bloc countries to join the Council of Europe, symbolising the country’s commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

He stressed the importance of international cooperation in resolving Europe’s migration crisis and combatting the rise of terrorism and extremism.

Photo: MTI

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