Hungary vehemently against the EU’s Migration Pact

Protecting the community’s external borders is “key for the debate on migration” within the European Union, but “the EU’s concept is not comprehensive”, it cannot be used to reduce the number of migrants entering Europe, János Boka, Hungary’s EU affairs minister, said in an interview published online by German daily Die Welt on Friday.

According to Boka, the EU’s position was getting closer to that of the Hungarian government “but debates are still not aimed at granting entry to those people only that have the right to enter Europe”.

Boka said eliminating the networks of human traffickers called for bilateral agreements with countries in Africa and the Middle East under which they would accommodate the illegal migrants returned from Europe.

Boka said that the Visegrád Group – Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland – shared a position on migration, adding that other countries such as Austria and Denmark that “offer solutions similar to those of Hungary”.

“The position of the German government is vastly different, however,” Boka said. “The Germans consider the Migration Pact as the solution to the problem, but it will probably only increase the tension,” he said. “A system in which anybody entering Europe is allowed to stay will be a strong incentive to many more people to cone to Europe,” said Boka.

Asked about the EU procedure against Hungary concerning the rule of law, the minister said “Hungary has a constructive approach at the talks not because the other side’s arguments are legitimate but because in the current geopolitical situation it is important to demonstrate European unity.” HERE you may find our migration archive.

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