Government: Hungary won’t budge on migration

Hungary is at the receiving end of a smear campaign due to its firm stance on migration, but the government will make no compromise on the issue, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference in connection with Monday’s meeting of the European Union’s General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels on the launch of the Article 7 procedures against Hungary, Gergely Gulyás said migration was the only issue on which Hungary refuses to compromise with the European Commission.

Hungary believes that only the voters and the government have a right to decide who should be allowed to enter and settle in the country, Gulyás said.

He added that Hungary was not without allies in its fight against migration.

Gulyás said the GAC meeting and the events related to it had given “the pro-migration forces” another opportunity to continue their battle against Hungary. He said migration was the main source of division among Europe’s member states today.

He said the fact that Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini, the author of the report calling for opening the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, had met members of the GAC at a separate meeting, was “yet another violation of the EU’s rules of procedure”.

Gulyás said migration would also be the number one issue in next year’s European parliamentary election campaign.

He said the countries supporting migration saw an opportunity to “take action” against those opposed to it, like Hungary.

And as part of the election campaign, the pro-migration countries will be looking to drag out the procedure against Hungary for as long as they can, he insisted.

Gulyás expressed hope that after next May’s elections, the political forces opposing migration would get to form a majority in the EP.

Featured image: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

Source: MTI