On 19-20 April 2017, the delegation covering all political groups of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) of the Committee of the Regions paid a visit to Szeged in order to obtain information on the pressure of migration weighing upon Hungary and the measures adopted with a view to its management.
During the course of the event organised by the Csongrád County Municipality with the involvement of the State Secretariat for EU Affairs of the Prime Minister’s Office, the attendees viewed the Röszke transit zone and the Mórahalom border policing centre. As part of the professional programme, the Police, the Immigration and Asylum Office, the Austrian police contingent serving on the Hungarian-Serbian border and the experts of Frontex all rendered accounts of their activities.
Deputy State Secretary for EU Affairs Dr Balázs Molnár outlined Hungary’s position represented in the EU decision-making process with respect to the migration crisis, based on which the security of Europe can be best guaranteed through the protection of the external borders. The Deputy State Secretary further introduced the measures Hungary has implemented in response to the crisis, particularly highlighting the financial and human contributions provided.
The Mayors of the localities of Mórahalom and Magyarkanizsa, which are particularly affected by the migration crisis, informed the members of the Commission that the municipalities concerned were required to mobilise financial and human resources resulting in immense burdens in the interest of the management of the crisis caused by mass migration.