EU commissioner, Hungarian MEP address debate on EU migration policy report

Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, and Kinga Gál, an MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, addressed a debate at a plenary session of the European Parliament about a report on human rights protection and the EU’s external migration policy, in Brussels on Tuesday.

The principles of the EU’s new migration package are clear, Várhelyi said in the debate, adding that the EU aimed to strengthen its partnership with third countries outside the bloc and promote the rights of immigrants entering its territory in a sustainable way.

“These components form an integral part of the migration package submitted by the commission in Brussels last September,” he said, underscoring a continued cooperation of the European Commission with the EP in ensuring transparency and seeking out sustainable solutions for migration-related issues.

Kinga Gál said the report failed to address either the issue of eliminating the root cause of migration or the issue if improving living conditions in countries where migrants are coming from.