At a press conference on Tuesday, held after the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér said that it is clear that the migration pressure in Europe will not decrease.
Mr. Pintér pointed out that the migration pressure from the South is not decreasing, and the sea migration route from North Africa to Italy has been reactivated. He also said that through draft legislation presented to Parliament, the Government would like to expand the transit zones, to ensure that as few migrants as possible enter the country illegally.
At the meeting, the Minister of Interior explained that since 2013 Hungary has been subject to increasing migration pressure, which has multiplied the burdens on the Ministry of Interior’s various bodies. In the first phase, HUF 35 billion was spent on handling mass migration, and in the second phase HUF 30 billion was spent. This funding is providing accommodation, medical and other care for migrants, as well as education for migrant children.
Mr. Pintér said that the bodies involved in handling mass migration include the National Police Headquarters, the Riot Police, the penal system, the Constitution Protection Office and the Counter Terrorism Centre. Their efforts have also been supported by the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The Minister of Interior stressed that as a result of their efforts, the number of those arriving in Hungary illegally has dropped significantly: this year between thirteen and fourteen thousand people have been apprehended for crossing the borders illegally.
Mr. Pintér told both the Committee and journalists that the Ministry’s aim is to establish reception centres close to the borders and far from inhabited areas.