Schengen

Migration pressure steady on EU, says Orbán’s security advisor

Budapest (MTI) – Migration pressure has remained steady in the European Union despite preventive efforts by member states, and has intensified at Hungary’s southern border in the past two days, the prime minister’s security advisor said on Sunday.

The flow of illegal migrants has been massive, steady and organised, and in several instances violent, György Bakondi said in Budapest, adding that further masses of migrants could be expected to depart from Asia and Africa.

He critised the EU for not enforcing its own Schengen rules and protecting its borders.

Over the past year and a half, more and more powers have been ceded to Brussels, which in turn has initiated measures against member states that have their own asssement of the migrant crisis, he said.

He noted that Hungary’s position on setting up hot spots for migrant inspections outside the EU’s borders had just recently been backed by the German interior minister.

Photo: MTI

He underlined the importance of repatriation of migrants. There should be uniform deportation rules for people who reside in Europe illegally, Bakondi said, adding that the issue of binding quotas should be swept off the table.

Bakondi further noted that individual member states had started to put protective measures in place, including strengthening their police forces and secret services.

Describing the migrant situation in Hungary, Bakondi said that 2,693 people attempted to illegally cross to the country since Jan. 1 this year, 1,399 of whom had been stopped and the rest taken to transit zones.

There are currently 804 migrants staying in refugee centres in Hungary, Bakondi said.

Photo: MTI

Photo: MTI

Hungarian Interior Minister: Conditions are securely available to manage migration situation

The personal and material conditions for the management of the current migration situation are adequate, the Interior Minister stated on Wednesday in Szeged.

Sándor Pintér said at his press conference held after his visit to the Serbian-Hungarian border that he sincerely hopes that should the pressure of migration increase, with the application of the latest technology, those serving at the border will be able to perform their duties to the same standards.

The Minister said that the state of the fence installed at the border earlier is satisfactory. In combination with the border fence, they also installed conventional night vision and thermal imaging cameras which are suitable for giving an indication as to what may be expected from the direction of Serbia. The elements of the system function individually, but further efforts are yet to be made in order to coordinate the operation of the various components, he added.

Mr Pintér also mentioned that, during the course of the inspection, they viewed a new type of fence system, regarding the installation of which the Government will have to decide. The Cabinet will receive information on the technical specifications and anticipated costs of this system as well as on the amount of time that is necessary for its installation.

He stressed: those working at the border are provided for to the highest standards, and their clothing is impeccable. In answer to a question, the Minister said that a disease affected 126 persons at the border. One of the reasons for the outbreak of the disease was that the regulations relating to the preparation and storage of foodstuffs were not adequately observed. In the case of several of the patients, the fact that they suffered from flu-like infections affected the progress of their recovery. He added: the individuals concerned were able to resume service swiftly, within two to three days.

Photo: MTI Photo: kormany.hu

In answer to another question, Mr Pintér said: the Government has decided that the asylum-seekers whose applications have been refused may only stay in Hungary under controlled circumstances. The statutory background necessary for this is currently being drafted, he said.

Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu, MTI

French national assembly member praises Hungary for Schengen border protection

Budapest, January 19 (MTI) – Member of the National Assembly of France Rudy Salles lauded Hungary for its efforts in protecting as an EU member the bloc’s external Schengen border, in an interview with MTI on Thursday.

Salles, head of the Assembly’s French-Hungarian Friendship Chapter, is paying a visit to Budapest leading a delegation.

Hungary is protecting an important Schengen border section which is an enormous task because of the massive wave of migrants, he said.

With the abolishment of border controls among EU member states within the Schengen zone, the task before Europe is to strengthen the protection of its external borders, Salles said. Hungary, in this respect, is a frontline country performing outstandingly, he added.

He urged joint efforts by member states in protecting Europe’s borders.

Salles, who also serves as deputy mayor of Nice, said that a terrorist attack such as the one carried out in his city last summer could take place at any time anywhere else, which was why he said countries must join forces in fighting against Islamic terrorism.

“Europe still has a lot more to do in this respect,” he said.

Salles called for “total war” against the Islamic State terrorist organisation in the Middle East in united efforts by the US, Russia and the European Union.

Pressure of migration remains high at Hungary-Serbia border, says Orbán’s security advisor

Budapest, January 16 (MTI) – Figures from last year show that the pressure of migration eased from 2015 but still remained high at the Hungary-Serbia border, the prime minister’s internal security advisor said on Monday.

So far this year, 1,142 people have attempted to cross the border illegally, which is comparable to last year’s figure despite the intensive protection measures introduced against illegal border crossings further south and the extreme cold weather that hit the area at the start of this year, György Bakondi told a press conference.

Due to terrorist acts, internal security has significantly deteriorated over the past two years, but the Hungarian government’s well-timed measures have proved to be effective and Hungary’s internal security is acceptable, he said.

Hungary rejects European Union efforts to relocate migrants, facilitate migration, broaden EU powers and maintain border controls within the community, he said. Instead, the external Schengen borders should be sealed, the force of law restored during border controls and migrant hotspots established outside the EU, Bakondi said.

Last year saw an increase in migrants trying to enter Hungary by hiding on trains, he said.

The number of attempted illegal entries on the Hungarian border with Ukraine and Romania have not prompted the introduction of special measures, Bakondi said.

A total of 470 people have made an illegal entry since stringent regulations were introduced in July last year, mostly from Romania and Ukraine. The border police prevented 10,600 people from crossing the metal fence along the Serbian border, and returned 8,400 others who had managed to cross the fence and were caught within 8km of the border, Bakondi said.

In 2016 a total 29,400 applications for political refugee status were received, of which 438 have been approved. In nearly 50,000 cases — including applications from 2015 — the procedure was terminated because the applicants had left the country, Bakondi said. Currently there are 858 migrants staying in Hungary, he added.

Concerning US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments on European migration policy, Bakondi said it would remain to be seen what concrete measures he would take, but his political remarks so far suggest that thanks to a shift in US politics, the forces that promoted the arrival of migrants in Europe would get no support.

Photo: MTI

Die Welt’s interview with Hungarian foreign minister: Schengen must survive!

Berlin (MTI) – Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade, took a stand for keeping borders open within the Schengen zone, in an interview published by conservative German daily Die Welt on Saturday.

Asked about how the strict defence of the zone’s external borders can be reconciled with advocacy for no control along its internal ones, the minister noted that Hungary has a “very open” economy, and said that “if Schengen dies, the open economy will also die.”

Szijjártó referred to large industrial companies operating in Hungary under the “just-in-time” production management system.

“If the trucks are once again checked at the borders and lose time, the system will no longer function,” he said.

Rejecting criticism over Hungary’s decision to build a fence along its southern border, Szijjártó said that the free movement of people and goods within the Schengen zone can only be guaranteed if the external borders are duly protected.

By defending the border of the Schengen zone, Hungary is also protecting Europe and, within that, Germany, he said.

Szijjártó expressed hope that Germany and other EU countries would not prolong the temporarily restored internal border controls in February.

“To attain this, however, all countries concerned should defend the EU’s external borders as Hungary does,” he said.

Asked why Hungary fails to provide help for the migrants suffering from the cold spell along the Serbian-Hungarian border, Szijjártó said that the migrants should rather go to and have themselves registered at the Serbian reception centres. Hungary has made it clear several times that it will not tolerate illegal immigration, he said.

“It is not a fundamental human right to march through safe countries of origin en masse and choose the country where you wish to settle,” the minister said.

Concerning ties with Russia, Szijjártó said that Hungary’s government had never supported the sanctions but had not vetoed them either so as not to weaken the European position.

The sanctions are “cynical and ineffective”, similar to a boomerang, and do harm to the European economies, the minister said. He added, however, that Europe should not tolerate Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.

Szijjártó said that the EU heads of state and government should at last analyse the effects of the sanctions.

The minister said that record-low unemployment posed new challenges to Hungary, with investors asking if the country has enough skilled labour. He added, however, that “we still have reserves and need no migration.”

Read the original Die Welt’s interview in German.

Fugitive terror suspects arrested on Hungary’s border

Szeged, January 13 (MTI) – Hungarian police on Friday arrested two foreign nationals wanted on suspicion of terrorism-related offences, at the southern border, a spokesman for the Csongrád County police department said.

The 18-year-old Belgian and 19-year-old French woman, both subjects of a Europe-wide manhunt, were apprehended at the Röszke border station on their way to Serbia, Krisztián Huber said. They had been travelling on a bus headed from Vienna to Sofia.

Police determined that European arrest warrants had been issued for both women and arrested them on the scene, Huber said.

Jobbik repeats call for stand-alone border guard force

Budapest, January 13 (MTI) – Opposition Jobbik welcomes the recent inauguration of 500 border guards but repeatedly calls for reinstating a separate border guard force, the party’s spokesman said on Friday.

Hungary is the only EU country without a force like that, Adam Mirkoczki told a press conference, noting that Hungary’s Border Guard had been eliminated in 2008.

The Border Guard should consist of at least 8,000 members and patrol Hungary’s EU Schengen border sections, he said.

The first “border hunting” officers took their oath on Thursday at a ceremony addressed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

In response, ruling Fidesz said that Jobbik only “preaches” border protection while it prevented “together with the Socialists and [Democratic Coalition leader Ferenc] Gyurcsány” the passage of a constitutional amendment aimed at banning the forced settlement of migrants in Hungary.

Fidesz noted that the Hungarian government had been the first in Europe to defend the country’s borders, the party said in a statement.

Oath ceremony of the first officers of a new border protection force in Hungary

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Budapest, January 12 (MTI) – Protection of Hungary’s borders will continue to be a top national security priority, the prime minister said on Thursday, addressing the oath taking ceremony of the first officers of a new border protection force.

In his address, Viktor Orbán insisted that pressure on the borders would not subside and that the country cannot expect protection from the European Union. “We will have to protect ourselves,” Orbán said.

The prime minister also voiced confidence that thanks to its military and police force “Hungary is now one of the safest countries in the EU”. “We do not have terrorism, no mass harassment, nor do they drive trucks into merrymaking crowds,” Orbán said.

Europe “would be better off” had it not thwarted “Hungarian solutions which have proven practicable and useful and have now been adopted by more and more countries”. “We have proven through deeds that immigration can be stopped,” he added.

Orbán insisted that the era of “naivety, illusions and having no chances” is over and said that “we must focus on what we actually see and not on what we would like to see.” He argued that “the terrorist acts and clashes, the violence and crime, the ethnic and cultural conflicts” are warning signs that “those who come here do not want to live our life; they want to go on with theirs among European circumstances”.

The prime minister said that migrants were also victims; the victims of “human smugglers, European politicians pledging free entry and also of their own illusions”. “We do understand them, but cannot yield to their demands and allow them to enter Europe. No human rights stipulate national suicide,” Orbán said. He added that the new arrivals may be accompanied by terrorists, too, and “innocent people have been killed in several European countries, paying with their own lives for their countries’ weakness”.

The ceremony, at which 532 officers took their oaths as graduates in the first phase of the border guard training, was also attended by interior and defence ministers Sándor Pintér and István Simicskó.

The government decided in August last year to enlarge the police force with 3,000 border guards.

Phoo: Károly Árvai/kormany.hu

Orbán’s security advisor: The migration situation could worsen in 2017

“Illegal migration will remain a significant issue this year and the situation could in fact worsen in 2017”, the Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister declared.

György Bakondi stressed that the security situation that has developed as a result of migration remains a danger within the European Union and in transit countries, in addition to which the fight against the Islamic State, which is drawing to a close, could also lead to an increased threat of terrorism in Europe.

“In this situation the Hungarian standpoint is firm: the external borders of the European Union must be protected and hotspots for the evaluation of asylum requests must be established outside the EU”, the Chief Advisor added.

Summarising the past year, Mr. Bakondi said that illegal migration is continuing along the Balkan route and from Libya towards Italy. The former has seen some reduction in the number of migrants, while an increase has been observed on the latter route.

“Alternative routes have also developed: towards Bulgaria along the land border between Turkey and Greece, and via Montenegro, Romania and Ukraine. Migration has not reached mass levels along the latter two routes”, he told the press.

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The Chief Security Advisor continued by listing EU measures that in his view we insufficient to stop illegal migration, including the setting up of a joint EU border and coast guard. Violent crime and acts of terrorism have become more prevalent within the EU, he indicated.

Mr. Bakondi told reporters that according to figures from the United Nations, 361 thousand people arrived in the territory of the European Union last year, 200 thousand in Italy and the rest on the Greek islands.

Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

17,800 people managed to enter Hungary illegally prior to the major change in legislation that came into force on 5 July. Since then, 470 people have entered the country illegally; a significant number tried to enter the country via Romania and Ukraine.

The Police prevented 10,600 people from getting across the border security fence and 8,300 were accompanied back to the other side of the fence from within the 8 km border zone.

29,400 people submitted requests for asylum during the course of the year, of whom 438 were granted political asylum or protected status. 4360 requests were rejected and the assessment of the asylum request was terminated in 48,885 cases in view of the fact that the individual in question had disappeared, he continued.

The difference in the figures is caused by the fact that the latter also includes data from 2015, the Chief Security Advisor explained.

There was also a significant change in the ethnic make-up of asylum-seekers: 18 thousand Afghans, 4900 Syrians, 3800 Pakistanis, 35000 Iraqis and 1300 Iranians asked for asylum.

There are currently 829 migrants living in Hungary in guarded accommodation or awaiting their court ruling in open camps, Mr. Bakondi continued.

The reinforcement of the border security fence also began in autumn; there are currently around 100 migrants waiting in one of the transit zones, he added.

In reply to a question, Mr. Bakondi said that the 61 border hunters taken to hospital earlier in the week were most probably taken ill as a result of some kind of food poisoning, although he will only be able to say for certain once the results of laboratory tests are announced.

Photo: MTI

Orbán’s chief security advisor: Intensity of migration diminished in 2016

Budapest, December 19 (MTI) – The intensity of migration into Europe diminished in 2016 compared with the previous year, while in Hungary the recruitment of so-called border-hunters is gathering pace, the prime minister’s chief security advisor told a news conference on Monday.

György Bakondi identified the closure of the Balkans migrant route, the agreement between the European Union and Turkey and “defence measures taken by nation states” as the primary reasons for the slowdown in migration into Europe.

He insisted that policy measures initiated and introduced by Hungary were becoming more and more accepted in the EU. Among these, he mentioned stricter border controls and the implementation of “technical blockades”.

Bakondi noted that by July 5, fully 17,800 illegal migrant had arrived in the country, and since that date the entry of 9,700 has been blocked. This year, 29,200 requests for asylum were processed. Of these, 427 were granted and 4,360 rejected. Taking together requests from previous years, nearly 49,000 procedures have been aborted, he said.

Photo: MTI

Defence minister: Hungarian Defence Forces have excellently accomplished the border protection tasks

In Hódmezővásárhely, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó stated that in cooperation with the police, the Hungarian Defence Forces have excellently accomplished the border protection tasks that presented extraordinary challenge to both organizations.

Illegális bevándorlás - Határzár Kelebia térségébenSpeaking at a staff meeting held in the Miklós Zrínyi barracks, Mr. Simicskó said that the soldiers’ commitment and responsible service are needed so that the Hungarian families can prepare for Christmas in peace and security amidst the crisis caused by mass migration.

The politician emphasized that the government of Hungary highly appreciates the work that the soldiers are doing along the borders and everywhere around the world. He added that “for this reason, we are obliged to do something to express our esteem.”

Soldiers are the top priority of a recently finished ten-year development program, which is to be implemented through the improvement of individual equipment and pay rise, the minister noted.

Dr. István Simicskó explained that in agreement with the minister of the interior, they are going to do everything to make sure that besides the safe performance of duties, each soldier and policeman can spend at least one half of the holiday season at home.

At the staff meeting, the minister of defence presented gifts to Hungarian and Austrian soldiers currently involved in the task “Joint Will”, and the ministry donated sports and training equipment to the barracks in the interest of improving the conditions of service for those working in Hódmezővásárhely.

István Simicskó told Hungarian news agency MTI that the Hódmezővásárhely barracks of the Hungarian Defence Forces is the only one in the region of the 175-kilometer-long Hungarian-Serbian border.

Preparations must be made for a prolonged migration crisis, therefore a decision has been made to set up border protection bases so that the soldiers can be stationed there instead of being transported from a single point continuously. As much as possible, these bases create adequate conditions for the soldiers performing their duties. The minister added that an Austrian engineer company has also joined the construction of bases and roads.

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According to the politician, it is important that Slovakia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic are also providing assistance to Hungary with handling the migration crisis and share a similar position on the solution to the problem, as they consider it important to protect the external borders of Europe.

Austrian contingent commander Reinhard Koller said that all members of his unit are proud of being able to support the Hungarian Defence Forces in the execution of the tasks, and an excellent cooperation has developed during the joint work.

mti

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Photo: MTI

Hungarian PM: Ukraine should get EU visa waiver immediately

Brussels, December 16 (MTI) – Ukraine should get visa-free status in the European Union immediately, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday.

“What does the European Union really do for Ukraine if it does not give it a visa waiver immediately?”, he asked at a press conference held after a meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels.

The prime minister said it is hard to conceive how the EU wants to use military force away from Europe without a joint army and when it cannot even influence military developments in Ukraine.

“What is more, it is incapable of even giving Ukraine a visa waiver now, although this is not even a military issue, it has no legal obstacles, and nobody dares argue against it openly,” he said.

Orbán said the Visegrad countries “strongly” supported Ukraine concerning the visa issue “independent of their possibly different positions on the (EU’s) Russia policy”.

The example of Syria shows that there is still a lot to do in the area of European security, Orbán said. If Europe does not have sufficient military power it will not be able to win in military terms and instead of “resolving issues” in Syria and offering genuine help to those who live there is only well-intentioned talk. But that does not resolve the situation which is already taken care of by others, who are already using military force in Syria, he said.

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On the subject of Hungary’s presidential election next year, Orbán said he greatly appreciated President Janos Ader’s efforts, and his continuing in the post was “among the important possibilities if he himself wishes to do so”.

On another subject, Orbán said that the EU’s energy union was a “pseudonym” to cover Brussels’ efforts to ban Hungary’s energy price cuts. He said Hungary was ready to contribute to the development of such union, but insisted that details of price regulations must be established. “Apart from Hungary there are other countries that find it inconceivable that Brussels should ban utility price cuts, or the possibility of centrally regulating energy prices, which affect hundreds of thousands of Hungarian families,” Orbán said.

EU leaders summit – Orbán: All hinges on closing the borders

Brussels, December 16 (MTI) – Everything in relation to the migration crisis depends on whether the borders are closed down or not, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday after a meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels.

Prior to the summit, leaders of the Visegrad grouping of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia met and adopted a joint position on the three key issues, he said, namely that the borders must be protected, that “all who had come in must be sent back” and that all who want to come must be held outside the EU and separated into different groups.

Orbán said Hungary has closed its borders but Greece is incapable of doing so and Italy “cannot or would not” follow suit. “The situation in Italy is dramatic,” he said. Concerning Turkey, he said the situation was “fragile” and the uncertainty raised the question if another influx of immigrants was to be expected coming through the western Balkans. Hungary could stop a new migrant crisis if there was one, he insisted.

Orbán said the responsibility lied with Brussels for enabling rejected asylum seekers to freely leave Hungary for western Europe. Brussels could help by changing the “unrealistic” rule under which rejected asylum seekers who ask for legal remedy cannot be kept in custody. The meeting of prime ministers has rejected a proposal on changing that rule, Orbán said.

 

The prime minister called it an important achievement that participants in the summit agreed that the EU should negotiate similar agreements with African countries to the one it has signed with Turkey. He argued that such agreements were instrumental in reducing the number of migrants from those countries. He said it was essential that the EU should sign such a migration agreement with Egypt.

Orbán insisted that the Hungarian proposal to set up refugee camps outside the EU, which he said had “earlier been referred to as inhumane, impossible or crazy”, has by now “gained legitimacy”. “What we are talking about is how we could do that, which partners we could negotiate with or where we could set up such facilities,” he said.

Photo: MTI/Prime Minister Press Office

Orbán’s advisor: International cooperation is needed to prevent another migration wave

On Tuesday evening, György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, told Hungarian television channel M1 that it would be good if political measures and international agreements could prevent another migration wave similar to – or even greater than – the one last year.

Mr. Bakondi said that every effort must be made to maintain the EU-Turkey deal, the issue of migrants in Greece must be resolved, and rules on expulsion must be tightened.

According to Mr. Bakondi, Europe took rather too long to start defending itself. He said that the migration crisis is not a vast, one-off movement of population, but a prolonged process.

The position of the Government of Hungary consistently remains that the EU’s external borders must be protected, and that no one should cross them without being screened, he added.

Photo by Balázs Béli

Hungarian police unit departs to help patrol Serbian-Bulgarian border

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Budapest, December 5 (MTI) – A new contingent of 20 Hungarian police officers left for Serbia on Monday to help their local colleagues patrol the country’s border with Bulgaria.

The contingent, which will be the third Hungarian unit to help out on the Serbian-Bulgarian border, was seen off by national deputy police chief János Balogh.

The unit will contribute police cars, freight trucks and vehicles equipped with thermographic cameras to the joint mission.

The first Hungarian contingent’s posting on the Serbian-Bulgarian border lasted from Oct. 24 to Nov. 16 while the second contingent left on Nov. 15.

Photo: police.hu

47 migrants captured in Ásotthalom on Friday night

Ásotthalom wildlife officers captured 47 migrants who entered into the country Friday night by cutting through the border fence write Ásotthalom Mayor László Toroczkai on Facebook.

Although the thermal imaging camera alerted police officers, but by the time they arrived on the scene the migrants disappeared in the bush.

Ásotthalom wildlife officers, who are very familiar with the terrain, however, found them quickly.

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The migrants who are all young men according to their own admission, have come from Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

So far 700 people have been captured by wildlife officers this year in Ásotthalom; among the 700 there was only one family, the rest of them were young men.

Police officers rounded up the migrants and escorted them back to the Serbian side of the border.

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Mysterious illness affecting police officers in South Hungary

Thirty-three police officers have contracted an infection of unknown origin in Baranya country, South Hungary, mno.hu reports.

A severe virus infection is spreading among the police officers deployed at the south border of Hungary. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, and so far, three officers have been hospitalised.

According to the report of the Baranya County Police Headquarters, thirty-three police officers have contracted the illness in the past few days, all of whom have been stationed at the southern border. Three of them are currently in hospital, seven of them are at home, twenty-two of them are recovering at their accommodation, and one police officer has already recovered.

The cause of the illness is currently being investigated. The Baranya County Police said: “The redeployment necessary due to the illnesses has been carried out, and the police continues to secure the border as needed.”

Photo: MTI

Copy editor: bm

Police captured a large group of migrants in Hungary

Police officers captured 61 immigrants in the outskirts of Ásotthalom in the early morning hours of Sunday; the migrants entered into the country illegally (probably by damaging the border fence).

The migrants had no travel documents and their identity couldn’t be verified; they claimed to be Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens.

Police escorted them back to the Serbian side of the border where they can officially apply for political asylum reported Csongrad County Police Department.