Security measures that have been in place on the Hungarian border for over seven years, are still only casually debated in Brussels.Continue reading
The European Parliament’s (EP) position on illegal immigration is only prolonging the migration crisis, Balázs Hidvéghi, Fidesz MEP said on Sunday on Radio Kossuth.
The politician pointed out that since the beginning of the migration crisis eight years ago, the European Parliament’s position has been pushing the same unworkable solutions: the distribution of migrants among the EU member states and repeating that people arriving in Europe must be received by different member states. He noted that a state of emergency has been declared in Italy because of the unsustainable situation, with three to four times as many people arriving on the Italian shores via the Mediterranean as a year ago.
According to Balázs Hidvéghi,
the real solution, the beginning of the fight against people smuggling and illegal entry attempts, would be to focus on border protection and to establish the basic principle that it is not possible to enter the European Union illegally and in violation of the law, and that if you arrive in this way, you will be returned to the place you started from.
He said that the problem is that many people enter the EU and stay here. This should be fixed, but the pro-immigration part of the EP does not think so and continues to push for bad solutions, he said, adding that Hungarian left-wing MEPs also vote for these bad solutions.
‼️Migrants must be stopped before they even embark! That’s the only way to end illegal masses coming into Europe and people dying in the Mediterranean. That’s why we must say no the the EU’s Migration Pact. #eplenary #illegalimmigration #migration #migrationpact #eu pic.twitter.com/p2GrXNJVUU
— Hidvéghi Balázs (@BalazsHidveghi) April 21, 2023
In connection with migration, Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party, recently said that walls should only be built as a last resort, but if there is no other way to stop illegal immigration, we must be ready to build fences. He also said that the European Union is facing another major migration crisis. Commenting on that, Balázs Hidvéghi said that “Manfred Weber has said a lot of things in recent years, he is more of a wandering politician and now he feels that the wind of the times demands that he should turn around and start talking about border protection and fences”.
According to the Hungarian MEP, Weber used to attack Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his decisions to strengthen border protection, but there is some kind of shift and this is welcome. However, the position adopted in the European Parliament last week does not say that and continues to put the emphasis in the wrong place.
The European Parliament Plenary agreed last Thursday to open talks with EU member states on several migration and asylum policy files. Among others, the negotiating mandate for the central piece of legislation of the Asylum and Migration Package, on asylum and migration management, was backed by MEPs with 413 votes in favor 142 against and 20 abstentions. The regulation sets out how the EU and its member states will act jointly to manage asylum and migration. It establishes improved criteria to determine the responsibility of member states in processing an asylum application (the so-called ‘Dublin’ criteria) and fair sharing of responsibility. It also includes a binding solidarity mechanism to assist countries experiencing migratory pressure, including following search and rescue operations at sea.
Balázs Hidvéghi pointed out that European migration laws are already being exploited by migrants, most of whom are not refugees but simply economic migrants, adding that migrants are also exploiting Europe’s weakness and are arriving in Europe in masses in violation of the law, in cooperation with people smugglers and the NGOs that often help them.
Featured photo via European Parliament
