Member State leaders rejected the part of the EU border controls proposal which Hungary finds objectionable, Antal Rogán told the Hungarian news agency MTI on Thursday by telephone.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived at the summit with the intention of making it clear that Hungary will not hand over the right of border protection to Brussels and Frontex, the Minister heading the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister stated.
Mr Rogán told MTI that Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission (EC) proposed the expulsion of Fidesz from the European People’s Party (EPP) in the absence of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Salzburg. His proposal was, however, rejected.
The Prime Minister’s cabinet chief highlighted that two events were taking place simultaneously. On the one hand, the summit of the European People’s Party attended by heads of state and government and party leaders forming part of the EPP and on the other, the summit of EU heads of state and government. The latter finished a few hours ago, he observed. At the summit of the European People’s Party Jean-Claude Juncker tabled a proposal for the expulsion of Fidesz from the EPP.
The Minister said it is regrettable that the President of the European Commission presented this proposal when Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was no longer in attendance because he had a one-to-one meeting scheduled with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. This programme was announced in advance.
This means that Jean-Claude Juncker waited for the Hungarian Prime Minister to leave the room, Mr Rogán highlighted. Despite this, in the debate conducted in the Prime Minister’s absence, the attendees of the EPP summit clearly rejected the proposal of the President of the European Commission, and so no such process will be initiated.
At the same time, a summit of EU heads of state and government was also held. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian delegation came to the summit with the intention of making it clear in the context of the Brussels proposal on the issue of border controls that Hungary will not under any circumstances relinquish the right of border protection. The Hungarian borders will be guarded by Hungarian soldiers and police officers, he stressed.
The proposal was debated by the EU heads of state and government, and the outcome was that the part of the motion which sought to withdraw powers from national competence – such as from the Hungarian border guards and the police – was “rejected”.
The battle is, however, not over yet. The leaders of Member States will repeatedly discuss the proposal before the end of the year, Mr Rogán said.