Orbán proposes package to protect EU borders

Lisbon, April 15 (MTI) – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has presented a ten-point proposal to protect the external borders of the European Union while maintaining free movement within the community on Friday.

The prime minister put forward his proposals at a conference of the Christian Democratic International in Lisbon.

The package, dubbed Schengen 2.0, was compiled in the wake of an “ill-considered” European Commission proposal to manage the migration crisis, Orbán told the Hungarian public media.

The prime minister insisted that the European proposal was aimed at changing the refugee system whereas, he said, it is Europe’s borders that should be protected.

Orbán suggested that while European decision makers aim to impose immigrants on members as a way to resolve demographic or economic problems, Hungary and “some other countries” have different ways to manage those issues, such as means of family or economic policies.

“The EU cannot strip members of the right to decide how they want to solve those problems… it must not create a system of allowing migrants to enter and then make it mandatory for each member to accommodate them,” he said.

Concerning his government’s plans to hold a referendum on migrant quotas, Orbán said that “we are under tremendous pressure… unless we stop Brussels by way of a referendum, they will indeed force upon us large numbers of people we do not want to live together with”.

On the subject of the recent Panama Papers scandal, Orban pressed for full transparency and called on countries “with low tax rates” to provide information once the authorities of another country enquire about investments by its citizens.

During his visit to Lisbon, Orbán had talks with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as well as Pedro Passos Coelho, head of the PSD party.

Photo: MTI

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