“Hungary is supporting the conclusions of Thursday’s meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council because it includes every single Hungarian proposal”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said following the meeting or EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Mr. Szijjártó told the press that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Schengen 2.0 proposal had also been included in the adopted document, which states that the Council will continue to look into the proposal.
“This step hopefully means that the European Union will be able to handle the migration crisis better as a whole”, Mr. Szijjártó said.
The Minister also said that the European Union foreign ministers had adopted the Hungarian proposal according to which the EU must examine the possibility of establishing so-called hot spots (EU-operated asylum seeker registration centres) outside the borders of the EU so that the question of who is entitled to enter the European Union can already be decided there.
In view of the fact that the reacceptance mechanism isn’t operating as expected, this proposal would prevent people from entering the territory European Union, in addition to which cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries could mean that the question of who is entitled to international protection could be determined in the given country.
“This could save lives, because if the decision is already made outside the territory of the European Union then tens of thousands of people will not attempt to reach the EU by sea. In addition, the measure could mean an end to the business model of people trafficker”, Mr. Szijjártó said.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister also told reporters that the issue of border protection had also been included in the Council Conclusions, which assures the protection of Europe and the people of Europe, in addition to which the Council also adopted Hungary’s proposal to support Iraqi Kurdistan, where hundreds of thousands of refugees are being cared for, in addition to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. The stability of Iraq and the Kurdish region are important to the country’s territorial integrity and also with relation to the fight against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, Mr. Szijjártó highlighted.
“Border protection and cooperation with third countries must be realised simultaneously. If one element is missing, the challenge cannot be handled”, the Minister added.
Mr. Szijjártó said that the EU foreign ministers had agreed that an increase in migration pressure can be expected in the long term because there are some 30-35 million people living in the vicinity of Europe who could decide to head for the continent because of their current situation.
“The complex nature of the migration crisis requires a complex solution and all measures must focus on reducing the pressure on Europe”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister declared.