Schengen

Hungarian defence minister on two-day tour of border – PHOTOS

border Hungary Serbia

Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó visited military personnel serving in the Great Plain Temporary Special Troops force in the Hungarian border with Hungarian Defence Force Chief General Dr. Tibor Benkő.

On the forts day of the two-day tour of the border, the Minister set out from the barracks of the Hungarian Defence Force’s 5th István Bocskai Infantry Regiment in Hódmezővásárhely to visit soldiers serving in Algyő and Mélykút, and at the border security stations in Kelebia and Bácsalmás. At the troop assemblies, which were also attended by the settlements’ mayors, Mr. Simicskó highlighted the fact that Hungary is currently one of the world’s safest countries, which Hungary’s population has the devoted efforts of our soldiers to thank for.

Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

Hungary’s Minister of Defence stressed that

defending Hungarian borders is the most important duty of the Hungarian Defence Force, which is being realised through the sacrifices and conscientious efforts of our troops.

The Minister thanked the soldiers for their hard work, expressing his appreciation not only in words, but also in deeds. In view of the approaching Christmas holidays, Mr. Simicskó symbolically presented the military personnel stationed at the border with Christmas presents. The soldiers serving at the various border defence bases mostly received sports equipment and accessories, and the game consoles presented to them by the Minister also serve to help soldiers rest and recuperate between periods on duty.

Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu
Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu
Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu
Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

Foreign minister: Hungary’s stance on immigration policy reason for LIBE hearing

Had the Hungarian government not adopted its policy on immigration, Thursday’s hearing by the European Parliament’s committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs (LIBE) would not have taken place, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, told public radio in an interview on Sunday. 

The minister said over the past 18 months it had become clear that the political elite in western Europe and the people had begun to diverge.

Szijjártó insisted that

people in western Europe had “encouraged us”, saying “if only their governments would do the same; and finally someone has recognised the dangers inherent in illegal migration”.

“So it was hardly surprising that at the hearing, against all expectations, many more spoke with Hungary than those who spoke against it, and it is not at all surprising that our accusers and condemners were unable to raise a single concrete instance,” he said.

The hearing was “part of the same witch hunt” which has been held against Hungary “for the fourth time in short order”, he said.

The minister said

there was no reason why Hungary should be brought before any EP committee concerning the rule of law.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing outstanding has happened in Hungary to distinguish it from other European Union member states,” Szijjártó said, adding that the country is in mid-field in terms of the number of infringement proceedings.

He said it was necessary to dispel the misconceptions in western Europe that NGOs paint of Hungary.

Szijjártó said that in the judicial phase of the infringement process “we will put forward all the existing arguments: that illegal migration is a danger to Europe and the [mandatory migrant distribution] quota is also dangerous because more and more people will form the idea that they can happily come to Europe”.

“The quota is in any case unworkable because anyone can freely travel between Schengen member states,” he added. 

“All this is contrary to European rules, because European treaties say that immigration is a national competence,” the minister said. It is only possible to restrict sovereignty by changing European treaties, but this would be a long, drawn-out process in which national parliaments would have a say rather than the European Commission or one of the ministerial councils in Brussels”, he added.

Meanwhile, on the topic of Ukraine’s education law that restricts teaching in the mother tongue, he said Friday had brought about “a very important victory” at the EU-Ukraine Association Council, since the EU “embraced Hungarian expectations”, making it clear that the EU expects Ukraine not to take away minority rights. Further, it expects Ukraine to engage in real and substantive dialogue with national minorities and to fully implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission, he noted.

Photo: MTI

V4-plus ministerial meeting focuses on EU expansion, energy security in Budapest

Ministers from the Visegrad Group plus Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria agreed at a meeting in Budapest on Monday on the need to enlarge the European Union to embrace countries of the Western Balkans as well to expand the Schengen area and establish energy security. 

Péter Szijjártó met ministers representing the other three countries of the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) plus Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia and Romania.

“We have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to making the EU stronger,” Szijjártó told a joint press conference.

“Here in central Europe we have proved that illegal migration can be stopped,” he said.

Szijjártó added that by producing economic growth above the EU average, the region had greatly contributed to Europe’s rebound. So the region has justifiable grounds for expectations when it comes to the EU, he said, adding that these included maintaining the Schengen zone and speeding up further EU integration as well as helping to guarantee central Europe’s energy security.

The foreign minister said it is important that the Schengen zone “function normally again”, but for this to happen, the external borders needed protection and rules within the zone rules must be respected. This is essential in terms of competitiveness, he said, adding that “hobbling the Schengen system would mean sacrificing the European economy; so its survival is in everyone’s interest.”

On the topic of energy security, Szijjártó said they rejected “double standards” and expected the EU to help in diversification, because new energy transport routes were needed to move forward on energy security.

On the subject of the Western Balkans, he said enlargement of the EU should be speeded up as the best way to overcome tensions in the region.

“Hungary sees political, economic and security risks should the EU fail to speed up enlargement, and Hungary will do its utmost to accelerate Serbia’s accession process,” the minister said.

Photo: MTI

Bulgarian deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov said after the meeting that gas supplies to central and eastern Europe and to south-eastern Europe were important, and the influence of the Russian company Gazprom should be reduced. He called for the rapid development of interconnectors, adding that cooperation with Greece and Romania was progressing well, so Hungary could also join these developments.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias expressed support for EU expansion in the Balkans, and Slovenian counterpart Karl Erjavec called for a strong Europe that offered even stronger social security and solidarity to its citizens. Erjavec said Slovenia supported Schengen expansion and EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.

Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbia’s minister of European integration, expressed hope that the EU expansion process was not slowing down. She said Serbia wanted to contribute to shaping the future of Europe and hoped to get a transparent and predictable accession timetable from the EU.

In response to a question about migration, Simeonov called for conflicts to be resolved at the point of their development, and added that every country must protect its own borders. He noted that Bulgaria received no EU support for the fence it had built on the border with Turkey.

Kotzias highlighted the importance of treating migrants humanely but added that migrants must also respect the law. European policies should focus on stopping the waves of migration, he added,

Erjavec said several million people were waiting to come to Europe. Organised crime is in the background of migration and little has been done so far to stop it, he added. Without a common European solution, individual countries should introduce measures in order to protect their citizens, he said.

Joksimovic said more than one million people had passed through Serbia, and it was necessary to find a comprehensive solution to the migration situation. Serbia is ready to contribute to this, she added.

Both Hungary and Denmark strive to stabilise results achieved in European Union

Deputy State Secretary Balázs Molnár had talks with Jens Kisling, Under Secretary for Europe of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Carsten Gronbech-Jensen, Chief European Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister of Denmark in Copenhagen on 23 November. At the meeting the parties reviewed the future of the EU, migration, the future of the Schengen Area, Brexit, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Western Balkans enlargement of the EU and social issues.

p, and they welcomed the strengthening of the leading role of Donald Tusk in the debate on the future of the EU. They stressed that the EU must respond to the actual needs of citizens, and must preserve the achievements of the past 60 years. The parties agreed on the importance of security and the protection of the external borders, but they had different views on the border controls implemented within the Schengen Area. While Hungary rejects them,

Denmark looks upon border controls as a means of flexibility which are essential in order for them not to have to leave the borderless area.

In the context of Brexit, the parties regard the unity of the EU27, citizens’ rights and financial issues as the most important priorities. Jens Kisling voiced his disappointment in connection with the decision adopted with respect to the headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA); at the same time, he believes it is an important achievement that Denmark managed to compile a strong Danish bid.

Regarding the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Mr. Molnár outlined the Hungarian and Visegrád arguments to the effect that the goals of cohesion policy which seek to even out the differences in advancement within the EU as laid down in the Treaties continue to remain relevant.

Hungary takes the view that it is unacceptable that the responses to the latest legitimate challenges should be financed solely at the expense of conventional policies.

Denmark as a net contributor country views budgetary issues on the basis of different criteria. They would preserve the basic principle of a contribution amounting to 1 per cent of GNI also beyond Brexit, meaning that they expect to see a net reduction in the grand total as the burdens of the Member States cannot increase excessively. Due to the percentages of the Common Agricultural Policy and cohesion, they believe that the reduction of these chapters is effectively inevitable.

The parties agreed on the significance of the fundamental principle of work force mobility

and highlighted the protection of legitimate workers and businesses, while they condemned abuses. Mr. Molnár drew attention to the interests of the Hungarian and Visegrád road haulage sector in connection with the talks of the Mobility Package.

Christian Democrats: murderers, criminals arrive at Hungary’s border among migrants

Two recent incidents have demonstrated that there are murderers and other criminals among the migrants arriving at Hungary’s border, a lawmaker of the smaller coalition party Christian Democrats told the press on Friday in Budapest.

István Hollik noted that a Pakistani citizen wanted by police for killing seventy people had been arrested in a migrant group in southern Hungary on Tuesday.

The man, who had been granted refugee status in Greece, arrived in Hungary with a 42-member group, he said.  Read more news about “Pakistani butcher” HERE.

In another incident, three young Hungarians were attacked by eight migrants in a motorway service area in southern Hungary last week.

The migrants presumably tried to appropriate the car but the Hungarians managed to get away unharmed, Hollik said.

Hungary and the safety of Hungarians have to be protected, he said, and called on voters to use the government-sponsored survey dubbed “national consultation” to voice their opinions on the “Soros plan”.

While criminals arrive at the border, Brussels continues to work on “implementing the Soros plan and flooding the continent with migrants”, he said.

Photo: Hungarian English News

Six new border crossing stations to open along the Hungarian-Austrian border

Austrian flag

“Six new border crossing stations will be opening along the Hungarian-Austrian border”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Parliamentary State Secretary said at a press conference in Budapest on Thursday.

Levente Magyar told reporters that the Hungarian Government had come to an agreement on the border development projects with officials from Austria and the state of Burgenland within the last few days.

He reminded the press that according to a previous decision, the two countries’ motorway networks will be connected at Körmend and Sopron, in addition to which the railway line connecting Fertőszentmiklós and Neusiedl am See will also be modernised.

The State Secretary said it was part of Hungary’s historical heritage that its borders are relatively difficult to cross:

while in the western half of the continent border crossing stations are 2-4 kilometres apart on average, in Hungary the distance between crossing points is over 20 kilometres.

“This is not right”, he said, stressing that permeability is also required for maintaining business relations and keeping contact with cross-border Hungarian communities, and this was why after 2010 the Government had launched a large-scale development programme thanks to which 18 new road links have been put into commission. “The foundation stone for the new Danube Bridge at Komárom was laid down last week and dozens of new transport links are in the processing of being constructed or in planning”, he said.

“Austria is working to extend the originally temporary, but slowly permanent system of border checks that it introduced with relation to Hungary a few years ago”, Mr. Magyar declared, adding that:

“We regard this as a major threat to the Schengen system”.

The State Secretary said it was worrying that Austria has found other Western European states to be allies in this endeavour, and pointed out that as early as 2015 the Hungarian Government had already indicated: if the external borders are not protected, it will endanger the results achieved to date with relation to internal integration, one of the elements of which will be the reconstruction of the internal borders that were dismantled with such great effort.

“This is a step backwards that we are not prepared to accept”, he said, stressing that the right to and practice of free movement is one of the greatest facilitators of the European Union’s internal cohesion.

“Hungary is protecting the European Union’s external borders at an extremely high cost and with great efficiency so that it can protect the achievements of European integration”, he highlighted.

Chairman of Győr-Moson-Sopron County Council Zoltán Németh and Deputy Chairman of Vas County Council Bálint Kondora both stressed that

the new border crossing points will help reinforce the social, economic and neighbourly relations that have developed during the course of history,

indicating that Austrians generally cross the border to make use of Hungarian services, while commuting workers form the majority of people travelling in the opposite direction.

In Győr-Moson-Sopron County, new border crossing points will be linking Zsirát to Lutzmannsburg, Várbalog and Halbturm, Fertőrákos (at the Pan-European Picnic Memorial Park) to Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland, and Rajka to Deutsch Jahrndorf, while in Vas County Kőszeg and Oberpullendorf, as well as Szentpéterfa and Moschendorf will be connected thanks to the projects.

Confidence ‘cement’ for European economy, says Orbán

Europe’s economy rests on the confidence between its players, the Hungarian prime minister said in Bratislava/Pozsony on Friday, addressing a conference on the double quality of food products in the European Union. 

At the conference entitled Equal Quality Products For All, attended by his Visegrad Four counterparts, Viktor Orbán said that

central Europe was especially “sensitive” to such issues as double food standards due to its communist past. 

Many things which may pass as routine or pragmatic in other countries will hurt people’s sense of justice “in our world”, the prime minister said.

In his address, Orban insisted that large international companies were “deceiving” central European consumers “with a dispiriting pettiness”. Citing analyses conducted in Hungary earlier this year, Orbán said that the quality of the same products distributed in western countries was “70 percent different” from those sold in Hungary. He also said that

the problem was not specific to Hungary or central Europe,

and quoted European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as saying that “Europe must not have second-rate consumers”.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, the prime minister called on EU institutions to “protect and enforce” the Schengen agreement and to respect European law.

“A few years ago, Europe’s external borders were closed and its internal borders were open. This now seems to slowly turn around”, Orbán said.

As we wrote on August, discrepancies have been revealed in about a third of 39 identically labelled food products sold in Hungary and in western Europe in the latest quality tests ordered by Farm Minister Sándor Fazekas, the ministry said.

The prime minister outlined Hungary’s position on the future of the bloc. “Hungary’s view — which is consistent with that of the V4 — is that if we want to move forward, then we shouldn’t start by taking a step backwards,” Orban said. Yet today, the EU appears to be going backwards in several areas where it has already made progress, he said. The most obvious example is the fate of the Schengen Area, Orbán added.

EU institutions must comply with the European legal system and return to the Schengen Agreement, the prime minister said.

Orbán said

it was clear that EU institutions had failed: Neither the European Commission, the Council nor the Parliament has protected the Schengen Agreement,

he insisted. “This is why we are where we are today.” Orbán said the EU must not continue this practice.

Orbán said that in his opinion there was no such thing as a “European people”. He argued that Europe was made up of Hungarians, Slovaks, Czechs, Poles, Germans “and quite a few other peoples”. “If we want to strengthen confidence in Europe, its legitimacy, then we’ll need to strengthen member states,” he said. The EC should be a guardian of the bloc’s treaties rather than a “gendarme” of member states, Orbán said. He said EU institutions should preserve the EU’s achievements.

Asked about the government’s nationwide public survey on the so-called Soros plan, Orbán said that the conference had also touched on the issue of migration, adding that this was a subject that is always discussed.

Asked about double standards on food quality in the EU, the prime minister said: “The fact that certain multinational companies want to make us eat garbage” is not only “unacceptable” but also goes against the rules of the EU’s single market.

The EC has a duty to defend the single market, he said, adding that if it failed to do so, member states would have to take it upon themselves to defend it.

“This means that we will wait a little while longer and if the commission doesn’t initiate any legislative procedure, then I will initiate a Hungarian law at the national level,” Orbán said.

The conference was also attended by European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova, MEPs responsible for agriculture and the single market as well as representatives of consumer protection groups.

Photo: MTI

Minister highlights Hungary’s ‘historic achievements’ in protecting Schengen borders

The head of the government office spoke highly of the Hungarian government’s “historic achievements” in protecting the European Union’s Schengen borders and closing off a major migration route across the Balkans, at his annual hearing in the European affairs committee of parliament, on Tuesday.

Concerning the Balkans migration route, János Lázár said that the Hungarian government had managed to close that off in cooperation with Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia, an effort which the European Commission had failed to support in 2015.

The government will insist “to the end” on its right “to determine who is allowed to stay in the country”, Lázár said.

The government is convinced that those rights must stay a national competency and cannot be transferred to Brussels.

Concerning the next parliamentary cycle between 2018-2022, Lázár said it would be “a major intellectual challenge” to define “how Hungary should participate in a new kind of European cooperation”, how “Brussels’s bureaucracy can be restricted” and how “good political directions can be set for Europe”. He added that

Hungary’s diplomacy and EU policy are both “determined by a culture of cooperation”.

Photo: MTI

Oath-taking ceremony of police officers held at Heroes’ Square

Hungary is one of the safest countries in Europe where security will be the most precious achievement in the years to come, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday.

Hungarian police deserve praise because in recent years they have been protecting the borders of Hungary and Europe while improving public safety in the country, Orbán said at the oath-taking ceremony of 227 police officers in Heroes’ Square in Budapest.

“Only people who come here legally and respects our laws we be allowed through our borders,” Orbán said.

Hungarians are hospitable people, he said. “Every well-intentioned stranger deserves the right of the guest” but it is a common interest that “we should filter out anyone with bad intentions and … ensure our security,” he added.

Photo: MTI

He said the police force had grown by 7,000 since 2010 and plans call for further increases. This has made it possible to ensure police presence in public areas 24 hours a day, Orbán said.

More than 15 billion forints (EUR 48.4m) were spent on upgrading the police’s vehicle fleet this year

and the entire fleet is planned to be renewed in the next few years, he added.

Photo: MTi

Photo: MTI

Foreign minister: External EU borders must be protected if Schengen zone is to survive

The external borders of the European Union must be protected if the Schengen zone is to survive, the Hungarian foreign minister has said.

Péter Szijjárto told MTI on Sunday that protecting the external borders is also an economic issue, not just a security matter. He noted that predictable freight transport means that European member states do not have to spend a lot on warehousing, which gives the EU a competitive edge globally.

In the ongoing EU debate over migration, the view that prizes protection of the bloc’s external borders is ascendant, he said, adding that Hungary has demanded this for years.

Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz is an important ally of Hungary’s in this regard, Szijjártó said,

adding that Austria has provided support for border protection to Hungary and countries in the western Balkans.

“The election campaign in Austria is very important to Hungary; we could see another important ally come to power with the election of the People’s Party,” he said. The more decision-makers like Kurz the better when it comes to effectively defending the external borders, Szijjártó said.

Featured image: Wiki Commons By Pan Peter12

Orbán: Brussels performing ‘Soros plan’

The “Brussels machinery” is performing US billionaire George Soros’s pro-migration plan, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday.

“Brussels has come under George Soros’s influence,” he said. The European Union wants to dismantle the border fence, let migrants enter the continent, distribute them among the member states and punish those who resist, the prime minister said.

The events in Brussels are unfolding exactly as Soros outlined, “it is a planned process”, Orbán said.

Hungary, however, is “not a country of fools” and one cannot “pretend as if everything was happening by accident”, he said.

“We have revealed the existence of the Soros plan, and the drafter himself admitted that it exists. We have placed it in the focus of politics,” Orbán said.

Commenting on the “national consultation” survey about the “Soros plan”, he said that if Hungary wants to defend its interests, all decision makers in Brussels should be aware that most Hungarian citizens are taking a stand for national interests.

Concerning the EU’s planned reforms, he said that while plans are being drawn up about the future of the EU, “the Schengen system is crumbling in our hands” and instead of defending the external borders, internal borders are being established. He cited a proposal in line with which member states should have the right to reintroduce border controls within Schengen for three years. Additionally, restrictions are being placed on the free movement of labour, he said.

Orbán called the infringement procedure launched against Hungary because of its law on foreign-financed NGOs a political affair. He added that

the related document had been drafted by the “Brussels bureaucrats” on political orders and they want to use legal means to force a political decision on Hungary.

“It is a subject of public ridicule everywhere in Europe …. A sensible lawyer would not even touch it,” he added.

The law stipulates that “when somebody gets money from abroad, they must admit this. Period. What does that violate?” Orbán asked.

The question is for how long Brussels would put up with “being the subject of public ridicule”, Orbán said. The entire EU is in trouble and European leaders have lost respect because the “Brussels bureaucrats” make such decisions, “insulting and abusing member states with such matters”, he added.

Commenting on the issue of the Central European University founded by Soros, he reiterated that laws must be respected by all, including billionaires, US-Hungarian dual citizens and the organisations they finance. The complicated issue at hand is currently discussed at expert level, he said.

Commenting on the European Parliament’s scrutiny of Hungarian development projects, he said

“a delegation from Brussels made a recent visit” and acknowledged that these projects had indeed been implemented and Hungary followed the line in every respect.

“What’s beyond that” is once again a political attack and “what it is clearly about is that the MEPs must keep themselves busy while we are protecting Europe for them”.

Orbán confirmed press reports that the prime ministers of the Visegrad Four countries would meet EC President Jean-Claude Juncker for “a friendly talk” on the eve of the next EU summit in Brussels, on October 18.

Orbán was also asked to comment on two issues affecting the rights of ethnic Hungarians to education in neighbouring Romania and Ukraine.

He expressed optimism concerning the future of a grammar school in Targu Mures/Marosvásarhely) in central Romania attended mostly by Hungarian students.

“We have made some advance towards keeping the school in operation,” he said, attributing the progress to “good personal relations” established with Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democrats. “This seems to offer some hope for the future,” he said.

As far as Ukraine’s new education law is concerned, the situation is rather different, Orbán said in connection with new rules passed recently by Kiev which restrict post-primary-level education in minority languages.

The countries affected by the new law are now working to take coordinated action on the matter, he said.

“We do not intend to threaten Ukraine, all we want is to make that country understand that while it is ‘at war’, or more precisely ‘has border disputes’ with Russia, and is economically depressed, it cannot curb the already acquired rights of its minorities, particularly in a situation when it can practically rely only on the EU,” the prime minister added.

Photo: MTI

Visegrad Four interior ministers meet in Budapest

If efforts to protect external borders fail, the Schengen area will not remain as it was in the past, Sándor Pintér, Hungary’s interior minister, said on Thursday after talks with his Visegrad Group counterparts.

Held under the aegis of Hungary’s V4 presidency, the participants decided to offer help in protecting the external Schengen borders to all countries concerned.

The four countries did so in the past, too but now, based on their positive experiences, they agreed to help as a group.

Pintér said the migration crisis would require an adequate response unlike the European Union’s current one which involves letting in everyone and then distributing them internally.

The ministers reviewed a European Commission proposal on the protection of internal Schengen borders and agreed to formulate a joint position on the basis of further expert studies, he said.

Pintér noted that the EU member states that had approved the mandatory redistribution quotas failed to fulfil their own expectations, with much fewer people being redistributed then what these countries agreed to take in. Other methods need to be sought because neither the redistribution of approved migrants nor the permanent relocation mechanism would offer a solution, he added.

Pintér said the V4 acted in line with the law and agreed that that

the Schengen treaty regulates in detail how the external borders need to be protected.

In response to a question, the minister said Bulgaria had built a 200-kilometre fence along its border, and that Hungarian border patrols were also serving there. Pending Romanian request, Hungary is also prepared to participate in protecting that country’s eastern borders, as recently stated by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Pintér said.

Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said the V4 countries have gained much respect for acting together in protecting their citizens and their proposals have been proven right by recent events. Hungary has always fulfilled Schengen regulations and Slovakia has always supported this, he added.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the V4 countries have proven their solidarity by offering help to protect the external borders.

Czech deputy minister in charge of interior security Jiri Novacek said the V4’s position goes against the EC’s in line with which the redistribution of migrants is the only form of solidarity. That is not a realistic project and the V4 have warned right from the start that it would not work, he added.

Photo: MTI

Orbán: Hungary prepared to help Romania deter migrants

Hungary would prefer to help Romania protect its eastern border against migration than build a fence on the Hungarian-Romanian border, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said.

“Sooner or later an effective border seal will be needed on [Romania’s] eastern borders,

otherwise Romania will be overwhelmed by migrants and we Hungarians would then have to build a fence on the Romanian border.

We certainly want to avoid that, and if it comes to it we will gladly help Romania protect its eastern borders,” Orbán said in an interview to Hungarian-language daily Bihari Napló published in Oradea/Nagyvárad on Wednesday.

He said he had high hopes for the Orthodox church and the Romanian political leadership and trusts that they also believe Romania’s future and its Christian future are at stake. Romania and Hungary can have a successful cooperation on this basis in the years ahead, Orbán said.

Orbán added that he expects “central Europe’s great decades” to be starting now.

“Poles, Czechs, Hungarians and Slovaks will certainly score serious successes together and I could even add the Slovenes.

We’ll need to settle certain issues with the Croats at first. The Serbs clearly want to join in the central European success story. It is obvious that ethnic Hungarians in Romania have a place in this upswing,” Orbán said. “It is up to Romanians to decide whether they can join the central European success story in cooperation with Hungarians, launching joint economic projects and setting common goals”, Orbán said.

“We could find a form of cooperation under the arrangements of V4 plus Romania

which would eventually result in higher living standards, greater security and better perspectives also for Romanians in Romania. We’ll keep that gate open,” Orbán added.

At the same time, he said it was the task of the Hungarian government to protect the interests of ethnic minority Hungarians at international forums and in bilateral relations. He cited the relaunch of the Roman Catholic Secondary School in Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely) as a concrete issue that needs to be resolved and also the speeding up of the restitution of nationalised former church property which he said currently proceeds “at a snail’s pace”. Hungary’s policy for ethnic minorities abroad must not be limited to rights protection, he added.

“We must discuss these issues with Romanians and at the same time, open the gate with our other hand to enable Romanians enter the central European economic area.

We have managed to establish a form of cooperation with Serbia which benefits Serbs and also ethnic Hungarians living there. We are progressing well with Slovenia and cooperation is excellent also with the Slovaks. We expect to be able to hold hands with Romanians in the framework of mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” he said and cited Hungary’s economic development schemes.

Orbán said he had formed a “promising personal relationship” with Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democrats, during talks about the closure of a school in Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely) attended mostly by Hungarian students. Hungary had said it would not support Romania’s OECD membership until the issue was resolved, a decision that was revoked after promises from Dragnea to take steps on the issue.

‘I would like to forge such ties between our respective ruling parties themselves, our different party persuasions notwithstanding”, he said.

Commenting on marking Romania’s centenary in 2018, Orbán said “the Romanians deserve honesty from us and vice versa. We have to survive 2018 with both communities feeling they have pulled through an emotionally complicated period without harm to their dignities”, he said.

On the topic of autonomy of the Transylvanian region in light of recent developments in Catalonia, Orbán said the Hungarian government was not commenting on Catalonia, as it considered them to be Spain’s internal issue. Broaching the topic of autonomy raises a lot of mistrust, Orbán noted.

“In regions where we focus on pragmatic help instead of theoretical questions, such as Vojvodina, the Serbs have understood that they can come to agreements with us … ” Orbán said.

“We are not quite there yet with Romania”, he added.

In Romania, the Hungarian government has managed to bridge old grievances with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), Orbán said. The Hungarian government is bound to cooperate with parties that Hungarians in the region trust, he said. The last election results showed the preferences of Hungarians in Transylvania, he said, adding,

“I like working” with RMDSZ-head Hunor Kelemen.

Orbán asked ethnic Hungarians to register to vote in Hungary’s general election in spring 2018.

Photo: MTI

Hungary done fair share regarding migration-related expenditures, says Orbán’s cabinet

EU flag

Hungary has done its fair share of spending in connection with the handling of the migration crisis and is “doing quite well” in this regard compared with other countries, the state secretary for European affairs said after a meeting of EU affairs officials in Brussels on Monday.

European Union member states must bear the burden of the migration crisis equally, he said.

One of the most important tasks in handling the migrant crisis is tackling the problem at its roots as effectively as possible by cooperating with partner countries outside the EU, Szabolcs Takács said. He added that Turkey would remain a key partner of the bloc.

If the EU cannot keep a respectful enough tone in its dealings with Turkey, it can cause the situation to worsen, he said.

Hungary is concerned by the fact that certain member states are pushing to uphold border controls within the passport-free Schengen zone, Takács said, arguing that such a measure could have unforeseeable economic consequences for the internal market.

Illegal migration serious security threat, Hungary’s FM tells BBC Hard Talk

“In Hungary’s view, illegal migration represents a major security risk to Europe, and the Government regards it as a huge problem that the European Union was unable to handle this phenomenon right at the beginning”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on BBC television’s Hard Talk show.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who spoke to the press while attending the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, declared. “We can already see the consequences: over 1.5 million illegal migrants have entered the territory of the EU without any form of control, regulation or checks, and that is unacceptable”.

“One of the most serious consequences is the increased risk of terrorism in Europe”, he added.

According to Mr. Szijjártó there are two possibilities: either we encourage people who live in extremely bad conditions to come to Europe, or we provide assistance where it is needed. Hungary is clearly in favour of the second option, the Minister said.

“The Hungarian Government is acting accordingly, and is saying that

the European Union should be providing a much higher level of financial assistance to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Because according to Hungary’s standpoint people who have been forced to leave their homes should receive help to enable them to stay as close to their homes as possible, and in good conditions”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

“Hungary has contributed to the implementation of the agreement between the EU and Turkey with millions of euros, in addition to which it has spent of 15 million euros on supporting Christian communities in Syria, Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan and Lebanon”, he highlighted.

In reply to a question concerning the fact that according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi Hungarian practices are forcing refugees, including children, to spend long periods of time living in containers surrounded by barbed wire, Mr. Szijjártó said: “Everyone, including the UN’s high-ranking officials, must abide by European regulations. According to the Schengen Regulations it is mandatory for countries that lie along the external order of the European Union to ensure that their borders can only by crossed at official border crossing points and while in possession of the required travel documents”.

“Hungary has 500 kilometres of border that is also the external border of the European Union and the Schengen Area, and Hungary has an obligation to protect that border”, Mr. Szijjártó stressed.

The Minister said claims by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that Hungary’s procedure with relation to refugees violates its obligations according to both international law and EU regulations were “a dreadful allegation”. “Hungary has adhered to all international norms and has fulfilled all of its international obligations. Hungary ordered those who occupied railway stations or blocked motorways to cooperate with the local authorities, register themselves according to EU regulations and go to one of the refugee camps, but they refused to cooperate in any way”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

With relation to the fact that Hungary is refusing to accept a little fewer than 1300 refugees, Mr. Szijjártó said:

“400 thousand illegal immigrants travelled though the territory of Hungary in 2015, and since then the Hungarian Government has spent 800 million euros on protecting the border of the Schengen Area, but it has received ‘zero assistance’ towards this from the European union”.

“Hungary is taking the ruling of the European Court of Justice and the standpoints of European leaders such as German Chancellor Angel Merkel seriously, but I believe that the challenges posed by illegal migration must also be taken seriously, and we must engage in a rational debate on the subject, instead of an argument based on emotions”, he added.

In reply to criticism of the Act on Higher Education, Mr Szijjártó said: “There are 21 universities with foreign headquarters operating in Hungary, and if the situation is as bad as Mr. (Michael) Ignatieff (Rector of the Central European University) is claiming, then why aren’t we hearing any complaints from the other twenty universities?”

In reply to a question concerning whether “illiberal ambitions and acts” are putting Hungary in opposition to the European Union to such an extent that Fidesz “might as well recommend leaving the EU”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said:

“Hungary’s place is in the European Union, and it can only be strong itself as part of a strong European Union”.

“We are members of the European Union and we will remain members of the European Union”, he emphasised.

You can watch full interview HERE, but BBC iPlayer only works in the UK.

Photo: MTI

Hungary shows ‘exceptional solidarity’ to Germany, says foreign minister

germany hungary flag

Hungary shows “exceptional solidarity” to Germany since Hungarian taxpayers pay to protect the Hungarian borders, thereby protecting Germany against illegal immigration, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Saturday, in connection with an interview Chancellor Angela Merkel gave to two German newspapers. 

“Hungary has spent over 800 million euros on border protection and has not received any assistance,” Szijjártó said.

He welcomed growing support for Hungary’s standpoint on migration over the last two years. “The Hungarian government has said from the beginning that there is no need to bring trouble over here, but to take help to the places where the trouble is,” he added.

The minister noted that Germany is an important economic partner for Hungary.

“German companies are taking a big slice of EU funding destined for Hungary, but we don’t mind because they employ Hungarian people, so this situation is good for everyone,” he said.

In an interview to Nordwest Zeitung and Passauer Neue Presse,

Merkel said refusing to show solidarity between EU member states would not be consequence-free.

As we wrote before, German chancellor Angela Merkel said in a recent election debate that Hungary’s premier had failed to show solidarity by refusing to help refugees in 2015.

Measures taken two years ago still needed to curb migration, says Orbán’s cabinet spokesman

border-migration-hungary

“The measures introduced in the interests of protecting the border continue to be necessary; it is thanks to these that the number of migrants entering Hungary illegally and in an uncontrolled manner has fallen drastically, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács declared at a press conference on Friday at the border crossing station in Röszke.

At a press conference to mark the second anniversary of the closure of the Hungarian-Serbian green border, Mr. Kovács stressed that “In 2015, Hungary did not expect assistance or a financial contribution; it performed its duty in its own interests and to protect Europe”.

The Government Spokesperson recalled that after the first phase of the technical barrier along the Hungarian-Serbian border had been completed, the green border was closed on 15 September 2015, meaning that from then it was only possible for migrants to enter the country legally.

Several hundred armed migrants then attacked Hungarian police on duty at the road border crossing station at Röszke. “This was the only time force had to be used to protect police officers and the Hungarian border”, Mr. Kovács stated.

“There is continuous migration pressure on our borders; without the measures that are still in place today, the situation would be much worse”, the Government Spokesperson said.

Chief Security Advisor to the prime Minister, Mr. György Bakondi told reporters that Hungary had succeeded in establishing a solid border security system, which serves the internal security of both Hungary and the European Union.

“The system of technical barriers is the key to the success of border security,

and without it, it would be impossible to stop the mass arrival of immigrants”, Mr. Bakondi explained.

“People who attack the fence are taking a stand in favour of allowing large numbers of people to enter the country without any form of control. However, the technical barrier is not sufficient in itself; the continuous presence of a significant number of police and military personnel is also required”, the Chief Security Advisor said.

“The number of successful attempts to illegally cross the border fell from 391 thousand in 2015 to 18,236 in 2016 and only 1,184 in 2017. In addition to the closure of the Balkan migration route and the agreement between the EU and Turkey, this trend is primarily the result of successfully Hungarian border security”, Mr. Bakondi stressed.

“There is continuous migration pressure on the Hungarian-Serbian border, but various detours have also been established. Border security personnel have taken action against more than seven hundred illegal immigrants along the Romanian-Hungarian border”, the Chief Security Advisor told reporters, adding that all illegal border crosses were re-accepted by the Romanian authorities.

Photo: Károly Árvai/kormany.hu

New York Times editors ‘still don’t get it’ on migrant crisis, says Hungarian government spokesman

Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács has hit back at New York Times, which criticised Hungary for its migration policy in a weekend editoral, saying they “really still don’t get it”.

In a blog entry on the spokesman’s official website posted on Monday, Kovács said the government of Viktor Orbán had “built a fence on the southern border of Hungary because it’s an external border of the European Union’s Schengen Area.”

“It was not simply “to tighten his border,” as they say, but to defend Europe and uphold treaty obligations, which include preventing illegal immigration into the EU. Maintaining the security and integrity of the borders of the Schengen zone, the borderless area that allows freedom of movement, is essential to the EU’s security and the workings of the internal market. That’s a key point here.”

Kovács continued:

“Strong and secure borders are not making the migration crisis worse. On the contrary! It’s weak, undefended borders that are aggravating the crisis by creating a “pull factor,” encouraging migrants to set out on the dangerous journey. It’s the failure to secure the borders that has fueled an industry of human trafficking that prey on migrants. And it’s the failure to secure the external borders that has led to hundreds of thousands of migrants illegally entering the territory of the EU.”

As we published today, government spokesman has dismissed a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung suggesting that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may be open to a compromise deal on refugee distribution after the 2018 Hungarian general election.

Also we wrote  before, Jobbik’s president gave an interview to New York Times. With a few paragraphs referring to this interview, the US newspaper’s website published an article covering Putin’s visit and presenting the Russia-Hungary relations from the New York Times’ liberal point of view.

Read here the orginal article of New York Times: Hungary Is Making Europe’s Migrant Crisis Worse

Blog entry on the spokesman’s official website posted: The New York Times editors really still don’t get it

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org