“I feel that today nothing has been forced upon us which Hungary would not want or could not accept”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday, in relation to the meeting of EU heads of state and government convened in Brussels to discuss illegal immigration.
Mr. Orbán told reporters that “I will be satisfied if we can hold our lines of defence”, when speaking about finding a solution to the migration crisis at the two-day session of the European Council, which comprises EU heads of state and government. He added that “we have successfully resisted the attempt to force the compulsory resettlement quota on us”.
We will not accept restrictions on the free movement of people
With regard to British demands for reform, the Prime Minister said that the Hungarian government has drawn two red lines, which must not be crossed at the EU summit. One is that the free movement of people must not be subject to any restrictions and the other is that no precedent may be established.
The Prime Minister said that Hungary must protect the right of free movement: as tourists, to visit family or to work.
The other condition which Hungary is seeking to assert is that exceptional concessions granted to the British must not also be made available to others.
Hungarian goals also include ensuring that Hungarians working in the United Kingdom are not discriminated against. According to the Prime Minister, it seems possible to realise demands that no new regulations will be introduced retroactively. Mr. Orbán said that those Hungarians already in the United Kingdom must not find themselves “disadvantaged compared to their current position”.
The Hungarian prime minister expressed the hope that it will be possible to defend Hungary’s standpoint during the course of the two-day summit.