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In the context of illegal migration, the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out that on this matter the Hungarian position remains unchanged. The solution to this problem could be – as is laid down in Hungary’s laws – that if someone submits an application for entry into the territory of the EU, that person must physically remain outside the European borders until the assessment of their application.
“If we stated clearly that only those may enter the territory of the EU whose applications have been duly processed and who have been granted permission by a Member State to enter, this whole problem would be over,” Mr Orbán stressed. He added that the EU is not prepared to take this decisive step, and regrettably, the European Commission’s new migration proposal has also failed to achieved this goal. Therefore, on this issue the fight must continue.
Concerning the European Commission’s latest proposal regarding the amendment of the budget which also covers the issue of migration, the Prime Minister observed that the amount of money that the European Commission is proposing to allocate for the purposes of the fight against migration is nothing short of pathetic. “I have to say that the Commission’s whole proposal as it is cannot be taken seriously, and is in this form – according to Hungary’s position – not fit for any further debate,” Mr Orbán pointed out, adding that what is required is a proposal from the European Commission that can be taken seriously.
At the Pozsony meeting of the prime ministers of the Visegrád Four, in addition to the possibilities for the management of illegal migration, the situation in Ukraine and its consequences, the issue of the Western Balkans and the EU’s Green Deal were also on the agenda.
Regarding the issue of the Western Balkans, the Prime Minister said last week he had been to several countries of the region; he was glad to hear that the common position that the process of the accession of the Balkans countries to the European Union must be accelerated continues to be supported. He said we are in the midst of a period when most of the attention is focused on Ukraine, but there are other problems as well. We must also pay attention to the Balkans where there are escalating tensions which require a refined and complex solution. So far, the management of these tensions on the part of the EU has been fraught with mistakes and has to date proved to be a failure. He underlined that we need a Balkans policy which offers the peoples living there a clear membership perspective. He highlighted: we cannot allow the feeling to develop that Ukraine could become a member of the EU sooner than the countries which have been member candidates for years.
In the context of this issue, Mr Orbán also responded to the development that in accordance with his request last week, the Serbian authorities will release the previously apprehended three Kosovar police officers shortly. “I’m also glad that today the Serbian authorities and courts have decided to release the three Albanian Kosovar police officers, and with this the rapidly escalating tensions may have been reduced somewhat,” Mr Orbán said.
Regarding the EU’s Green Deal and its impacts on competitiveness, the Prime Minister said the green transition is important, but it must be implemented without spoiling the competitiveness of Hungary and Central Europe. “The green transition must take place in cooperation with the actors of industry; not without the involvement of the actors of industry and especially not against the actors of industry,” Mr Orbán laid down.
The Prime Minister said they also reviewed the issue of the Russo-Ukrainian war, but the goal is not to place this topic at the centre of cooperation. He said Hungary shares the concerns regarding the grain coming from Ukraine. “We support the grain coming from Ukraine to reach its destinations outside Europe, but don’t support the idea of this grain staying here, for instance, in Hungary, and destroying the entire Hungarian grain market,” Mr Orbán pointed out.
The Pozsony summit of the prime ministers of the V4 group was held as one of the closing events of the Slovak V4 presidency ending at the end of June. From July, the Czech Republic will take over the presidency of the Visegrád group from Slovakia.
