Time to review EU's migration policy, PM Orban's chief homeland security advisor says

Hungary rejects relocation quotas in any form or the establishment of migrant camps, as these plans put in practice would make it impossible to maintain border protection activities that have been carried out since 2015 and are supported by the vast majority of Hungary's population, the PM's homeland security advisor told M1 news channel on Sunday evening. Armed clashes between people smugglers on the Serbian side of Hungary's southern border are becoming increasingly frequent, Gyorgy Bakondi pointed out.

It is time for the European Union's new parliament, to be formed after the elections, to review its flawed migration policy and take decisive steps to halt current processes, which pose an extremely harmful and serious threat, the Hungarian prime minister's chief advisor on homeland security, told  M1 news channel on Sunday evening.

The EU's approach to the migration situation is ideologically based, Gyorgy Bakondi pointed out. Photo: Zoltan Havran

Gyorgy Bakondi noted that there are many illegal migrants on the Serbian side of Hungary's  southern border. Their movements are coordinated by criminal groups of people smugglers, who stage a growing number of armed showdowns. Recently, such armed clashes happened in residential areas: first a hand grenade attack on a private house took place, and then an armed showdown between people smugglers occurred in central Subotica (Szabadka), he said.

Ideologically-based migration?

All the routes to Europe are characterized by similar conditions, he said, with migrants arriving in large numbers and this is likely to continue for years to come. The EU's approach to the situation is ideologically based, as there is no economic, social or other reason to allow and even encourage the entry of people of unknown identity en masse, while they pose a serious threat to internal security in transit and destination countries, he said.

The chief advisor highlighted that

the Hungarian position, developed with  Austrian and Serbian leaders, that checks should be organized as far away from the border as possible, was correct. 

As a result, Hungarian police officers now perform tasks jointly with their Austrian and Serbian counterparts on North Macedonia's border. Gyorgy Bakondi stressed that security is a basic condition for economic development and social tranquility. To this end, it is crucial that only those whose identity is clear and who arrive lawfully, as decided by the authorities, should be allowed to enter Hungary's territory. At the same time, those who try to cross the border forcibly with the help of criminals, those whose identity and reasons for coming are unknown must be kept out of Hungary, he said.

On quotas

The chief advisor also pointed out that in the areas of Roszke, Morahalom and Asotthalom groups of more than 50 people have attempted to forcibly cross the border in the past 24 hours, but there have  been instances when two hundred people tried to break through police officers lined up on the Hungarian side, in 19 places simultaneously. This shows that new methods have been adopted, but the police and border hunter units are performing their duty and are doing everything possible to guarantee the security of the border region in partnership with Czech, Slovak, Austrian, Serb and Turkish police officers working with them, Gyorgy Bakond said. Speaking about the EU's plan on migrant quotas, he recalled that the expedited procedure, called for by the liberal and new leftist majority in the European Parliament, was blocked by Poland, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands.

The negotiations on the draft are proceeding as usual, but the proposal in its current form is unacceptable to Hungary.

Hungary rejects relocation quotas in any form or the establishment of migrant camps, as these plans put in practice would make it impossible to maintain border protection activities that have been carried out since 2015 and are supported by the vast majority of Hungary's population, Gyorgy Bakondi said, adding that the Hungarian government will do its utmost during expert and political talks to find as many allies as possible backing this position.

Cover photo: Gyorgy Bakondi, PM's chief advisor on homeland security (Photo: Istvan Mirko István)