The politicians also adopted a joint declaration with conclusions.Continue reading
The flawed EU migration pact must not be implemented, but it must be thrown out and the penalties imposed on Hungary for stopping migration must be halted, said Kinga Gál, chair of the Fidesz-KDNP delegation to the European Parliament and first vice-president of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
At the PfE’s international press conference, Kinga Gál stressed that one of the biggest mistakes of the outgoing European Commission was the pushing through of the EU migration pact. The pact imposes old, bad solutions; it is not part of the solution, but the problem itself, she said.
It must be said that external border protection is a priority, asylum applications must be processed outside Europe, cooperation with countries of origin and transit of migration must be developed and those who are not allowed to stay in the EU must be effectively returned,”
she added.
At today’s press conference of @PatriotsEP, I emphasized: the Migration Pact is not the solution, it is part of the problem. Instead of pushing through this failed pact, illegal migration must be stopped and external border protection must be reinforced. Those who protect the… pic.twitter.com/pz7X46qeaC
— Kinga Gál (@kingagalMEP) October 23, 2024
Hungary was the first Member State to draw attention to the danger and unsustainability of mass illegal migration as early as 2015, she recalled. “Since then, we have been saying and making proposals on how to strengthen and control the external borders and stop illegal immigration. We have not only said this, we have effectively implemented it,” the vice-president noted.
She said it was unacceptable and scandalous that
while more and more Member State leaders are calling for tougher action on migration and tighter controls at EU borders, the European Commission is “harshly punishing” Hungary for defending the EU’s borders.
Tamás Deutsch, leader of the Fidesz-KDNP group in the European Parliament, told the press conference that the European Parliament’s plenary session on Wednesday decided on its position on the EU’s 2025 budget.
Tamás Deutsch at the European Parliament’s plenary session on October 22, 2024. Photo: MTI/Purger Tamás
The politician stressed that
the Patriots’ amendment proposals would have provided the EU with an effective instrument for stopping illegal migration, for external border protection, including the purchase of technical border protection equipment, and for the construction and maintenance of border fences.
Instead of stopping illegal migration, next year’s EU budget will remain an incentive for migration and a constraint on national sovereignty, he noted. The Patriots’ group therefore voted against the 2025 EU budget, the politician concluded.
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay