Budapest, September 18 (MTI) – The European Union’s decision to provide emergency aid to Bulgaria, with a view to helping it protect its borders against the flow of migrants, is a positive outcome of the Bratislava EU summit, the prime minister’s chief security advisor said late on the weekend.
The Bulgarian-Turkish border will be a key area in terms of the influx of migrants over the coming weeks, György Bakondi told public news channel M1.
He said currently over 65,000 registered migrants in Greece were looking for new routes to get to western Europe. One of these routes leads through Bulgaria while the other goes through Albania, Kosovo, Serbia leading to Hungary or the Hungarian-Serbian-Romanian border, Bakondi said.
He said most EU leaders at the Bratislava summit supported the idea of setting up a joint European army. Although no more than an idea for now, it is an important one because Britain’s exit from the EU has brought about a new security situation, Bakondi said. He noted that the EU faces serious challenges both in the east, in the form of the Ukraine conflict, and in the south from the waves of migrants arriving in Italy and Greece.
Bakondi said the Visegrad Group’s “realistic” proposals concerning the management of the migrant crisis could eventually prove attractive to Austria or even other member states.
Meanwhile, the national police headquarters announced on Sunday that a contingent of 49 Polish police officers had arrived in Hungary to help patrol the Hungarian-Serbian border.
The Polish officers are aiding Hungary’s border protection efforts as part of a cooperation framework of the V4 grouping. The contingent’s mission will last until October 29, the national police said on its website.
Bratislava, September 16 (MTI) – Friday’s informal EU summit in Pozsony (Bratislava) has been a failure in the sense that participants could not change “Brussels’ immigration policies”, the Hungarian prime minister told a press conference after the meeting.
The EU continues in its “self-destructive and naive” immigration policies; “they spoke more about accelerating the process of distribution than about stopping migrants at the Schengen borders”, Viktor Orbán said.
Orbán said leaders of the European nations along the Balkans migration route would meet in Vienna on September 24 and make another attempt to find a way forward. It is still to be seen if they will succeed but “Hungary can do only one thing: hold a successful referendum to bring about a change in Brussels’ migration policy,” he said.
At the same time, Orbán spoke positively about the summit’s decision to grant aid to Bulgaria. He argued that migration pressure on that country’s borders was increasing and relevant border control costs were significant.
Photo: Prime Minister Office
Orbán said that the Visegrad Four was the only group of countries in the summit to put forward proposals for a more successful European Union, from which all members can profit.
Orbán said that Germany and Greece are the key countries to resolving the migrant crisis.
As long as Germany does not impose a firm ceiling on the number of migrants it is prepared to take in, a “suction effect” would continue to draw masses to Europe, he said.
Orbán stressed that under the Schengen rules Greece should halt the wave of migrants but it fails to do so.
“As long as these two countries do not change their migration policies, we have a single option: to abide by the Schengen rules,” he said.
Orbán welcomed that all the participating countries decided to continue cooperation within the EU, and none of them would follow Britain and leave the alliance. Instead of quitting the union, they try to improve the operation of its institutions, he said.
In view of the need to guard hotspots to be set up outside the EU for the registration of migrants, Hungary argued in favour of establishing a common European army, Orbán said. Several countries expressed clear support for the plan, stressing that, as a first step, defence cooperation should be strengthened, he added.
Photo: MTI/EPA/Filip Singer
Orbán said it was oversimplification to call only those countries “solidary” that accept to take in migrants and criticise those refusing to follow suit as countries showing no signs of solidarity at all. Countries should be “judged” by their contribution to Europe’s security today, their spending and efforts towards ensuring that people can live in greater safety in Europe, he said.
Calling Hungary one of Europe’s most solidary countries, Orbán said, “If we did not protect the EU’s external border, other countries would face grave problems.”
[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/tag/immigration/” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Read more news about IMMIGRATION[/button]
Many fail to clearly understand in Brussels that migration is not simply a humanitarian issue, but has an impact on the identity of the nations it affects, he said.
“What we want in Hungary is to preserve our country’s identity,” Orbán said.
On Friday at a press conference held in front of the Capital’s Keleti railway station, György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister said that Hungary is open to offering all possible help with relation to genuine refugees.
György Bakondi stressed that this means people who do not pose a threat and who can be allowed to enter the country following suitable checks.
500 people last year and 300 people so far this year have received political asylum in Hungary, he said.
“A year ago a huge and aggressive crowd that posed a major threat to public safety was camped at the Keleti Station; this was why the Hungarian Government was forced to act to ensure the safety of the European people”, he stated.
Bakondi pointed out that some three hundred Europeans had lost their lives during the past year as a result of acts of terrorism, adding that the perpetrators “have set up a well-organised network that is preparing to carry out terrorist attacks and operates in deep conspiracy”.
He reminded the press that hundreds of thousands of people whose identity and goals were “undetermined” had entered Hungarian territory via Serbia prior to the border being closed, pointing out that “this was the period when everyone claimed to by Syrian, because the invitation was primarily aimed as Syrians”.
The Chief Advisor also mentioned that it has been a year since the attack at the Röszke border crossing station when the fence was breached, but “the exemplary, disciplined and lawful actions of the police” prevented a gate from opening “through which hundreds and thousands more people could enter Europe”.
“Today, Hungary is facing yet another danger: the compulsory resettlement quota”, Bakondi said, adding that “we are now not just talking about letting people into the country who are distributed by the EU with no upper limit, but also about plans to make family reunification easier and admitting economic migrants”, adding that “The citizens of Hungary will be the first to have the chance to form a standpoint against this at the referendum on 2 October”.
At the event, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács highlighted the fact that it has been a year since the Government came to a decision on mass migration and to put an end to the unacceptable state of affairs that had arisen in the country.
“We closed the green border and constructed the temporary border security fence”, he reminded the press, indicating that the Government had also ordered heightened patrolling by police and later the army, and decided to impose legal sanctions to make crossing the fence a crime.
“While charity organisations were doing their job here on site helped by well-meaning people and NGOs, we should also not forget that some supposed members of civil society attempted to deepen the crisis with specifically political intentions, as well as attempting to discredit the Hungarian Government for the measures it introduced to put an end to illegal migration”, he said.
Kovács stressed: These measures were to only important for protecting Europe and ourselves, but “were also significant from a much more direct and important security policy perspective”, because we now know how terrorists used the area around the Keleti Station, for instance, to enable the perpetrators of future terrorist attacks to reach their targets.
Berlin, September 14 (MTI) – Protecting the European Union’s external border has become a “number one priority” also for Germany in resolving the migrant crisis, a deputy speaker of Hungary’s parliament said in Berlin after talks with German politicians on Wednesday.
The Germans now “see clearly” that the EU must regain its capability of “sealing its borders hermetically, if need be,” Gergely Gulyás, of ruling Fidesz, told reporters.
“This is an enormous step taken forward over the past twelve months,” Gulyás said, insisting that “Hungary has set the right example” in protecting its border sections that form part of the EU’s external border.
Gulyás and his German partners agreed that the “harsh and extremist” remarks by Luxembourg’s foreign minister demanding Hungary’s expulsion from the European Union have to be condemned.
Franz Josef Jung, deputy group leader of the CDU/CSU party alliance in the German parliament, said that Jean Asselborn’s remarks have been “overall counterproductive”.
Luxembourg’s foreign minister has most probably realised that he has made a mistake, the CDU politician said, adding that the issue should now be considered closed and full attention should be given to resolving issues faced by Europe.
Gulyás also held talks with Johannes Singhammer, a vice president of the German parliament for the CSU party, and they agreed that Asselborn’s remarks can be regarded as a “judgement lacking any ground,” according to a statement released about the meeting.
Germany and Hungary have a shared interest in “a strong European Union, one that is not weakened by exits and disputes over expulsion,” the statement said, adding that cooperation is indispensable in fighting against international terrorism and resolving the migrant crisis.
Sofia, September 14 (MTI) – Bulgaria’s successfully protecting its borders is a shared interest “of us all”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Wednesday, after visiting the Bulgaria-Turkey border region with Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov.
Europe’s future will not be determined in Brussels but at the borders, Orbán said at a press conference in front of Bulgaria’s border fence.
Europe “cares little” for Bulgaria, Orbán said, and insisted that the community should help that country.
Orbán said the Visegrad Four grouping, which consists of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, had agreed to help Bulgaria.
“Bulgaria must not be left on its own,” Orbán said, adding that it was not fair that the country should bear the burden of protecting its border alone. Bulgaria “is not just protecting itself but us, as well,” the prime minister said.
“If we can give 3 billion euros to the Turks, who are not an EU member, it is impossible that we could not grant 160 million euros to EU peer Bulgaria,” he said.
Orbán warned against EU member states undermining each other’s border protection efforts. He said EU countries should join forces and agree on a southern European border line that they can protect together.
He said all EU member states, including Greece, must reinstate the Schengen rules in November. It cannot be allowed that certain countries make big efforts to protect the Schengen borders while others do not, because Europe’s “line of defence will be broken,” Orbán said.
He said border protection was not a question of ideology but rather a pragmatic and legal matter. Borders cannot be crossed illegally, as this is a crime, he added.
He said Bulgaria was working hard to protect its border, adding that there was “no sign of naivety” in the country’s approach to migration. “European blah blah won’t get you far here; the border here has to be protected,” he said.
Orbán said Europe’s biggest problem today was naivety, arguing that it was the biggest reason why the continent was in trouble. Brussels’ migration policy is practically based on naivety, the prime minister said.
Asked to comment on remarks made on Tuesday by Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s foreign minister, in which he said that the EU could not maintain its unity unless the community excluded Hungary, Orban played down the remarks as a political stunt. “Absurdity is the most entertaining thing in politics,” he said. “This is also about a communist from Luxembourg trying to lecture those on democracy who had suffered under communism for 40 years, Orbán added.
Asked about the selection process for the next UN secretary-general, Orbán said that based on the informal tradition of rotating the position among regions, there is a chance that the next UN chief could come from eastern Europe. Bulgaria is also preparing to nominate a candidate for the position of UN secretary-general. Orbán said the choice of who the country wants to nominate was Bulgaria’s alone.
Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted Borisov as saying that until recently, Sofia was left to protect its border on its own and had to endure great difficulties. Borisov said the migration crisis could not be resolved without pan-European cooperation.
He said his country would accept any and every form of support in its border protection efforts, underlining the importance of the EU-Turkey migration deal.
Budapest (MTI) – The European Union may resettle 100,000 to 120,000 migrants in Hungary under its mandatory quota plan, János Lázár suggested in an interview with local news portal makohirado.hu on Saturday.
The government office chief warned that that number, in light of reunited families and further children, could mean “a continuously growing community of 500,000-600,000”.
Lázár said it was “questionable” how members of that community, people “from completely different cultures and societies… strongly attached to their own religious and cultural identities” could integrate into local society.
Referring to calls by the opposition for voters to stay away from the upcoming quota referendum, Lázár said that people must not “give up their right to vote”, while politicians campaigning against the referendum are actually “attacking fundamental values of democracy”.
Lázár also reiterated the government’s earlier position that Hungary is ready to ensure protection to political refugees. As for economic migrants, however, “we are ready to support – in proportion with the country’s economic strength – those who live in worse conditions than we do, but that aid must be provided where they were born, where they live, and where the problems arose,” he added.
“We must accommodate refugees, but we must also protect Europe’s borders from immigrations and we need to create points where people who want to enter can do so,” Lázár said. He criticised Germany for “sorting migrants and picking those it needs” while the rest should be “distributed across Europe”.
Budapest, September 7 (MTI) – Hungary will only take back migrants who entered the European Union in this country, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Péter Szijjártó reacted to a statement by Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka saying that Austria would go to court if Hungary refused to take back asylum seekers obliged to request asylum in the country where they first entered the EU.
“Hungary’s position is clear and unchanged: we will take back only those who first entered the EU in Hungary,” Szijjártó said in a statement.
Illegal migrants from the Middle East and Africa have “obviously” entered the EU in other countries and the fact that they failed to register there is no excuse.
[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/tag/immigration/” type=”big” color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] Read more news about IMMIGRATION[/button]
The decline in the number of illegal migrants arriving in Austria is thanks to stricter border protection in Hungary, he said. “Anyone who criticises a country for protecting Europe and therefore Austria is on the wrong track,” Szijjártó added.
Budapest (MTI) – Hungary must prepare for the possibility that a new wave of migrants could soon make their way towards the country, the prime minister’s chief security advisor said on Tuesday.
Hungary’s Oct. 2 quota referendum is the only way Hungarians can express their opinion on a matter that significantly affects their future, György Bakondi told a news conference in Eger, in northern Hungary.
A responsible government has to be prepared for the possibility that the migration deal between the European Union and Turkey could fail and then a fresh wave of migrants will set off for western Europe on the “well-established route” that would also take them through Hungary, Bakondi said.
Hungary has to use every legal method it can to prevent illegal border crossings into its territory and uphold public security, he said.
Bakondi said Europe now faces unprecedented security challenges, noting the Ukraine conflict, Brexit and “mass, illegal and aggressive” migration.
He said that a total of 400,000 migrants from 104 countries passed through Hungary last year. He said this proved that claims that the wave of migrants consists solely of Syrian refugees fleeing the ongoing war in their country had been inaccurate.
Nearly 19,000 migrants have attempted to cross into Hungary so far this year, he said, adding that Hungarian authorities have taken in around 26,000 asylum applications.
Bakondi said Brussels was planning to take over the responsibilities of national asylum authorities and create a centralised asylum system. “Hungary doesn’t want this … We don’t want others to tell us who we have to live together with,” Bakondi said.
He spoke out against labelling all migrants as terrorists, stressing that migrants are victims in more ways than one. They are victims of their own governments, the terrorists hiding among them, human smugglers and of Brussels’ politics of false promises, Bakondi said. But he said that among the migrants who had entered Europe, terrorists and Wahhabi missionaries promoting “the teachings of aggressive Islam” and calling for terrorism had also managed to sneak into the continent.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán reported that the temporary technical closing of the border gets further elements and a 60 metres wide part near the border at Ásotthalom was appointed as area under construction, as Alfahir.hu writes.
According to the site, the construction has begun and currently a road is being built which is said to be between the soon-to-be fences and the already implemented ones. The area was full of workers and machines but numerous police officers and soldiers were there as well ensuring the strict control.
Ásotthalom seemed to have been a popular destination for the people crossing the borders, especially because it is pretty much in the middle of the line between Szabadka and Szeged, moreover, unlike the neighbouring areas, Ásotthalom has a huge wooded area.
And that meant that the migrants had to make a relatively small journey through visible areas, after which they could hide in the forest where it was rather impossible to notice them. However, the fences and the changing of the international situation both changed these circumstances, thus, far less people can cross the borders and even those who eventually manage to do so have a much more difficult job at it.
[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/recruitment-border-patrol-units-begin-1-september/” color=”teal” newwindow=”yes”] Recruitment of border patrol units begins this September[/button]
The implementation of the new fences serves the aim of providing further obstacles in case huge crowd would arrive to the border again: their way would be much more difficult especially as motion sensors and quick roads ensure the authorities can get there really fast without problems. László Toroczkai, mayor of Ásotthalom told the site he agreed with the expansion, the building of further fences; he already had suggested the implementation of a serious defence system back in 2014.
Also, he mentioned that the newly-built road is designed to be easily picked-up, theoretically in order to serve environmental friendly purposes, though, the mayor claimed that the closing might not be temporary but live on for hundreds of years to provide protection from invasion. Aside agreeing with the implementation, he was dissatisfied with the presence of policemen there, for he demanded the restoration of professional and soldier-like border guards.
According to him, locals would make up the border patrol, and thus, the accommodation would not cause any problem nor cost any money, they are familiar with the area and they are also really motivated. Toroczkai also claimed that the government does not restore the guard only because it was suggested by Jobbik, to which party he belongs.
See below the gallery showing the photos of the current status of the closing of the border in the south of Hungary.
Budapest, September 5 (MTI) – A contingent of 50 Czech police officers arrived in Hungary on Monday to help patrol Hungary’s border with Serbia.
The Czech policemen are aiding Hungary’s border protection efforts as part of a cooperation framework of the Visegrad Four (V4) grouping that also includes Poland and Slovakia.
At a welcoming ceremony for the policemen, state secretary László Tasnádi said the V4 countries had been the first in the European Union to respond to the challenges posed by migration.
Tasnádi told the Czech officers that although they can only protect the Hungarian-Serbian border, migration is a problem that affects the entire world and it should be addressed in the migrants’ countries of origin. The problem cannot be fixed with migrant quotas or with any kind of deal with Turkey, he added.
Belgrade, September 5 (MTI) – Challenges stemming from a wave of migration similar to those seen last year along the so-called Balkan route could well arise again this autumn, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday.
Orbán met his Serbian counterpart Alexandar Vucic in Belgrade on Monday to discuss cooperation in connection with the so-called Balkan migration route.
“We must prepare for a difficult autumn,” he said, adding that the agreement between the European Union and Turkey is fragile, which could lead to a situation similar to that last year.
Orbán told a joint press conference that Hungary wants to “protect what it has achieved so far” and will not tolerate law violations. This includes attempts to enter the country illegally, he said.
Hungary has an interest in helping Serbia so “not a single person can enter Serbia’s territory illegally,” Orbán said, adding that this would fortify Hungary’s security, too.
Orbán met his Serbian counterpart Vucic in Belgrade
Orbán said security of Hungarians should not come at the expense of Serbia.
“We are not interested in protecting Hungary’s borders while seeing tens of thousands of migrants stuck in Serbia,” he said.
The prime ministers agreed to open border crossings in order to help the flow of legal movements between their countries.
On the subject of the Oct. 2 referendum in Hungary, Orbán said the vote was needed to address the growing conflicts expected between Hungary and Brussels over migration issues. “Brussels wants to force rules on member states which are against their interests, and if this does not change it will lead to a prolonged political and legal dispute,” Orbán said. “The stronger support we get in the referendum, the better the chances we’ll win this battle against Brussels,” he said.
Addressing the issue of Serbia’s EU accession, Orbán said Serbia should try to get “as close to the EU as possible”. Whereas some are “trying to block this, Hungary does not agree with them,” he said. “Only merit counts.”
Hungarians living in Serbia enjoy “fair and generous” treatment from the government and the Hungarian government aims to be generous to the Serbian community in Hungary, too, Orbán said.
He asked Vucic for his support for Hungary’s bid to organise the 2024 Olympic Summer Games. The whole central and eastern European region would benefit, he added.
Orbán met his Serbian counterpart Vucic in Belgrade
Vucic said Hungarian-Serbian relations are outstanding despite the fact that there is no full agreement on all subjects between their countries. Preparations must be made for the autumn and winter, as already 5,000 migrants are in Serbia. Joint working groups are already working on solutions for the upcoming period, he said.
Budapest is contributing towards efforts on the Macedonian border, and this will be extended to the Bulgarian border as well, he noted. Serbia had aimed to show solidarity towards migrants, he said. In the beginning, the main arrivals were families from war-torn regions but now 81 percent of entrants are from Afghanistan and “they are economic migrants,” Vucic said. The EU is helping to cover the enormous costs of providing food and shelter for migrants but Serbia is also having to spend large amounts on this.
Maintaining good relations with Hungary is key for the Serbian government. Mixed committees overseeing the economy, agriculture and tourism will be set up to help improve the exchange of experiences, he said.
Bilateral trade between Hungary and Serbia rose by 12.7 percent in the first half of 2016, thanks mainly to Hungarian investments, Vucic said. A joint government session will be held before the end of the year and the meeting may be held in central Serbia instead of Belgrade in order to help boost Hungarian investments there.
Orbán met his Serbian counterpart Vucic in Belgrade
Vucic thanked Orbán for Hungary’s support for Serbia’s EU integration and highlighted that Belgrade wants to make Hungarians living in Serbia feel the same respect that members of the mainstream community receive.
UPDATE
Serbian foreign minister to visit Hungary in October
Ivica Dacic, Serbia’s foreign minister, is scheduled to visit Budapest in October, the Hungarian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of talks between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and his Serbian counterpart in Belgrade on Monday.
Parties at the talks also agreed to speed up cross-border road development and strengthen cooperation in energy projects.
Szijjártó is a member of the Hungarian delegation headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
According to faktor.hu, immigrants are getting smuggled at the Serbian-Hungarian border in a much more organised way than before, as human traffickers now know where the weak point of the fence is and they play upon it.
Human traffickers lift a labelled column of the wire obstacle from the ground every dawn in the given time on the Hungarian side. They bend the wire, get across 200-250 people in a few minutes and put back the fence in its original spot. Reportedly even more people cross the border at weekends, the number of immigrants might even reach 400.
“It is believed that a team from Borsod County is coordinating the procedure, but there’s also a gang of Serbian smugglers working on the side. They mostly get to the Serbian side of the fence at 3 am, lift up the pile and bend the wire fence. 200-250 people can crawl across in just a few minutes.
[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-government-migration-terrorism-go-hand-hand/” color=”orange” newwindow=”yes”] Related article: HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT: MIGRATION AND TERRORISM GO HAND IN HAND[/button]
Immigrants hurry to a close-by wooded area in the dark and wait for the morning to come” said an insider, who added that it seems that the authorities are overlooking this.
The government is now planning to construct a new fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border that is capable of stopping hundreds of thousands of people. The new fence will be stronger than the current one, and it will have a sand lane in front of it, which will locate footsteps. Drones and infra cameras will also be scanning the vicinity of the fence, so it’ll be impossible to approach the border imperceptibly.
On Wednesday György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, told public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió that recruitment of the three thousand police officers who will support border protection efforts will start on Thursday.
Bakondi said that he has not yet received information on how many people are applying for these duties, but every year the number of applicants to the police academy is several times its intake capacity. Therefore the Government hopes that in this case also there will be many applicants, and that there will be many able people among them.
The Chief Security Advisor said that the pool of potential migrants is “immeasurably large”: huge numbers of people are setting off from African and Asian countries, and people smugglers are exploiting the opportunities in this trend.
He pointed out that illegal migrants are keeping the Hungarian borders under constant pressure, primarily at the Serbian section. He added that an average of one hundred people per day are aggressively attempting to enter Hungary illegally.
Bakondi also said that threats are presented by the uncertainty of the EU-Turkey agreement and the situation in Libya – from where thousands of migrants are setting out every day. The Government has sought solutions to these problems, he explained, and it has decided to extend the state of emergency in Hungary in order to be able to protect the EU’s external border.
Budapest, August 31 (MTI) – A Slovak police unit dispatched to help their Hungarian colleagues patrol the Hungarian-Serbian border completed its month-long mission on Wednesday.
The contingent of 25 officers helped Hungarian authorities stop 509 migrants from crossing the country’s border illegally during their mission, János Balogh, commander of Hungary’s special response police division, said at a farewell ceremony.
Photo: MTI
Balogh thanked the Slovak officers for their help.
The Slovak unit was dispatched within a cooperation framework of the Visegrad Four grouping. The other members, Poland and the Czech Republic, have also sent units to southern Hungary. A fresh contingent of Czech officers is expected to arrive at the beginning of September, the national police headquarters said earlier this month.
At a press conference, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior Károly Kontrát has said that the experience of recent months and years has shown that “migration and terrorism go hand in hand; since the beginning of this mass migration influx, more than three hundred people have died in terrorist attacks in Europe”.
Kontrát said that that we can clearly state that the biggest threat in Europe is that of terrorism, adding that “hundreds – according to certain estimates, even thousands – of terrorists might have entered Europe with the help of migrants”; according to confirmed data, the majority of such infiltration is organised by Islamic State.
The Parliamentary State Secretary stressed that in order to combat terrorism it is necessary for the European Union to change its failed migration policy and to protect its external borders. “Hungary is in the forefront in this respect; Hungary has acted ahead of European practice”, having introduced a triple line of defence, consisting of physical protection, legal measures and military and police personnel.
Kontrát stressed that one of the most important elements in the package of anti-terror laws passed at the beginning of June was the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Information and Criminal Analysis Centre (TIBEK). At its Tuesday meeting, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security unanimously supported the appointment of Tibor Takács as Director of TIBEK, the State Secretary announced.
At the press conference György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, noted that the current situation of illegal mass migration was outlined at the meeting; “we can only say that the Hungarian border is being kept under constant pressure” – primarily from the direction of Serbia.
Bakondi said that so far this year 17,766 people were apprehended at Hungary’s external Schengen borders, 17,533 of them at the Serbian border. Since 5 July, 8,276 migrants have attempted to cross the border illegally: 4,882 of these were stopped at the border, and 3,394 people were escorted back to the Serbian side of the border. In August, a daily average of 133 people have attempted to cross the borders. “To some extent this means a stagnation of the trend”, but it is accompanied by constant pressure, Bakondi explained.
The Chief Security Advisor also said that 5,275 criminal proceedings have been launched in such cases, and 207 people smugglers have been brought to court. So far this year 25,693 asylum requests have been filed in Hungary, with 336 applicants being granted some level of protection: 118 as refugees, 212 as protected persons and 6 as admitted persons. In the transit zones 1,668 people have filed for asylum.
Bakondi pointed out that the largest group of asylum seekers are Afghan citizens, followed by Syrian, Pakistani, Iraqi, Iranian, Moroccan and Algerian citizens. Since the amendment of regulations the occupancy rate of refugee shelters has significantly decreased, he added.
The Chief Security Advisor also noted that the Government has initiated the extension of the state of emergency introduced because of migration, as a protracted migration crisis is to be expected. Furthermore, “the Ministry of Interior is also preparing a proposal to reinforce the border barrier in the coming months”.
Bakondi said that the Government has to be prepared “for a situation in which there are not hundreds or thousands of people appearing at our border, but tens or hundreds of thousands; therefore a border defence system must be established which can halt larger masses of people than the current one can”.
Budapest, August 30 (MTI) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s famous catchphrase “Wir schaffen das” (“We can do this”), coined last summer during the height of Europe’s migrant crisis as Germany was preparing to open its borders to asylum seekers, has turned out to be an empty phrase, according to Hungarian-born German political analyst and journalist Georg Paul Hefty.
“Wir schaffen das” is just an empty phrase because there is no way to determine what the German government wants to achieve, Hefty told MTI in an interview marking one year since Germany adopted its open-door policy for Syrian migrants. Merkel might as well have said “we can get through this too”, as that would have been a more credible statement, Hefty said.
Hefty said the earliest anyone will be able to judge whether Merkel was successful in integrating refugees into German society will be two decades from now. “But even then, we won’t know how things will stand at the end of the third decade,” he said. “Two-thirds of the newcomers will be able to integrate but the late integration of the remaining one-third can cause a lot of problems,” Hefty added.
Asked if there was an alternative migrant policy Germany could adopt if the migration pact between the EU and Turkey fails, Hefty said political commentators had been critical of what looked like a lack of alternatives to Merkel’s polices long before the migrant crisis. This means there is no alternative to the Germany-EU-Turkey pact, either, he said.
He said he expects that if needed, Germany will provide large amounts of financial aid to Greece and Bulgaria, not least because it does not want Hungary’s migration policy to be vindicated. He said it would be a success for Merkel if Hungary’s border fence became devoid of purpose.
Hefty also commented on an article published in conservative German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung last weekend which said Germany has lost its prestige in the eyes of eastern European countries due to Merkel’s migration policy. He said the concerns listed in the article were exactly in line with those of Germany’s right-wing voters, namely that Poland and Hungary could be right to oppose migration.
Budapest, August 30 (MTI) – The current situation in Turkey could worsen Europe’s migration crisis, the head and deputy head of parliament’s national security committee said after a committee session on Tuesday.
The state of domestic politics in Turkey has changed, and there is a serious threat that it could ignite a migration wave through the Balkan route similar to the wave seen last year, Zsolt Molnár, the committee’s head, said. This migration wave could also affect Hungary, he said, adding that refugee procedures should be effective and humane rather than fast-tracked.
Molnár welcomed the government’s decision to establish a special border patrol unit within the police force.
He said it had become clear that the external border of the Schengen Area can only be protected through joint European efforts, adding, at the same time, that the EU is in need of reform. A strong, reformed EU could secure the Schengen borders, he insisted.
On the topic of residency bonds, the opposition Socialist head of the committee said security checks relating to their issuance were not thorough enough. Molnár suggested that the rules relating to the issuance of residency bonds should be changed, as it is possible that they can be issued based on documents whose validity can be questionable.
Szilárd Németh, the Fidesz deputy head of the committee, said Turkey’s situation could have a negative effect on the future of the European Union. He noted Ankara’s desire for visa-free status with the EU and said Turkey could potentially send thousands of migrants to Europe. The country’s uncertain situation could also lead Turks to set off for Europe, he said.
He said the V4 grouping of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic and most other European countries are of the opinion that Europe should not grant visa-free status to Turkey for the time being because doing so would present serious risks. Németh said the focus now should be on observing the EU-Turkey migration deal.
One of the risks of granting the country a visa waiver could be an increase in the migrant inflow, he said. He also noted that there are 120,000-130,000, mainly unregistered migrants in Turkey. He said Italian coast guards rescue “1,000-2,000 migrants from the sea each day” and noted that there are some 4,000 migrants stranded in Serbia as well.
Another risk factor, he said, was that Islamic State militants could sneak into Europe by hiding among migrant groups and could later carry out terrorist attacks on the continent.
Citing the latest intelligence reports from counter-terrorism centre TEK, Nemeth said Hungary does not face any direct terrorist threat, but TEK is constantly gathering and analysing data.
Regarding the topic of residency bonds, Nemeth said their issuance is in compliance with international standards, adding that the 6,000 residency bonds sold so far have amassed around 290 billion forints (EUR 935.6m) in revenue. Security checks into bond applicants are as thorough as they can be, he insisted.
Ádám Mirkóczki of the opposition Jobbik party said secret service reports indicate that the migrant crisis could still turn “critical”, making it necessary to strengthen Hungary’s border fence.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Friday that the fence on Hungary’s southern border would be strengthened with the instalment of a second barrier.
LMP’s Bernadett Szél said a special border patrol unit should have been set up long ago. She said the need to strengthen the border fence indicated that “the fence alone is insufficient” in protecting the border. Szél called for border protection measures capable of guaranteeing the entire continent’s security, adding that the migrant crisis should be addressed in the migrants’ countries of origin.
Warsaw, August 26 (MTI) – Britain’s exit from the European Union is not the cause but rather a consequence of the state of things in Europe and the EU has completely lost its ability to adapt, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Warsaw on Friday. He called for setting up a common European army.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of a Visegrad Four (V4) summit in Warsaw, Orbán outlined a set of proposals in connection with the future of the European Union’s security policy, economic policy, institutional system, and common policies.
He said security should be made a priority within the bloc.
Orbán proposed that institutions like the European Council and the European Commission should go back to fulfilling their “original roles”.
He said the EU should preserve its “tried and tested” policies, such as cohesion and agricultural policies. But migration and social issues should not be managed at the EU level, the prime minister said.
Orbán suggested that the bloc should also preserve the economic policy aimed at safeguarding fiscal discipline, structural reforms and economic stability.
The Hungarian, Slovak, Czech and Polish prime ministers are joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the V4 summit.
The opposition Socialists reacted to Orbán’s remarks saying that the prime minister had “plagiarised” his proposals using a position the Socialist Party had presented in November last year. In a statement, the Socialists called on ruling Fidesz to “stop lying” about migration and “manipulating voters” ahead of the upcoming quota referendum.
The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) said that three of Orbán’s four proposals were “unacceptable” while the fourth one, pertaining to a common European military, “had actually been proposed by (DK leader) Ferenc Gyurcsány”.
According to DK, Orbán would “increase his own powers” through increasing the authority of the European Council and reducing the powers of the European Commission. Concerning Orbán’s proposing fiscal discipline to the EU, the party said in a statement that he had made it “as prime minister of a country with the EU’s weakest economy”.
Orbán: EU has lost ability to adapt
Speaking ahead of a Visegrad Four (V4) summit, Orbán said the EU is facing two challenges at the same time. The first is that it has lost its ability to adapt in every respect. The EU failed to draw the right conclusions from the global financial and economic crisis and has failed to respond to migration and terrorism, he said.
The bloc has also failed to respond to foreign policy challenges within Europe, such as the conflict in Ukraine, Orbán added.
He said the second challenge facing the EU was that the bloc does not observe its own existing rules pertaining to border protection, the Schengen area, fiscal discipline and the operation of financial institutions.
