Brussels squeezes through its migration deal unobtrusively

The new part of the migration pact was approved without any prior consultations or preparation, after only 13 minutes of debate.

Arguineguín, 2023. szeptember 27. Afrikai illegális bevándorlók érkeznek a Kanári-szigetekhez tartozó Gran Canaria szigetén fekvõ Arguineguín kikötõjébe 2023. szeptember 27-én, miután a spanyol tengeri mentõszolgálat hajója 78 migránst vett fedélzetre egy tengeren hánykolódó csónakból. MTI/EPA/EFE/Ángel Medina G. Fotó: Ángel Medina G.

Hungary will continue to reject the quota-based distribution of migrants as it has done so again in Wednesday's vote in Brussels on regulating the current migration crisis, the interior ministry's parliamentary state secretary told Hungary's state news agency (MTI) on Wednesday.

Bence Retvari reacted to an agreement reached by the ambassadors of EU member states in Brussels concerning a regulation on the ongoing migration crisis.

Today, Brussels pushed through another pro-migration legislative measure in the EU's Committee of Permanent Representatives, and this new, so-called crisis regulation is the last element of the migration pact,

– the state secretary said. Mr Retvari underlined that Hungary and Poland voted against the proposal, while Slovakia, Austria and the Czech Republic abstained. However, the fact that these countries have abstained did not matter in the end, because the EU - in defiance of its previous stance to reach every decision on migration by consensus - has shifted to qualitative majority voting, he added. 

State Secretary Retvari also pointed out that the draft text was distributed five minutes before the formal discussion, and the whole debate lasted 13 minutes. The issue of migration could determine the situation of Europe's population for generations to come, yet they devoted 13 minutes to the whole debate, he added.

Mr Retvari noted that the European Union - which keeps Hungary under constant scrutiny in connection with rule of law issues - does not consider itself bound by the same standards and it's squeezed through such a key issue in minutes, as a compromise proposal tabled on the basis of background negotiations, without any prior consultations or preparation.

He said Brussels appears scared of the potential outcome of next year's European Parliament elections, and that, after the vote, Europe's main decision-making forums will not be so pro-migration, so they want to push through these proposals at all costs, during this cycle. 

The interior ministry's parliamentary state secretary confirmed that Hungary will continue to oppose the quota-based resettlement of migrants, and that this cannot happen so long as the Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) party alliance is in government. "That said, we clearly see that left-wing MEPs in the European Parliament have accepted, voted for and backed all pro-migration and quota-related proposals," he added.

Cover photo: Illegal migrants from Africa arrive at the Arguineguin harbor in south Gran Canaria on September 27, 2023, after a Spanish maritime rescue service vessel picked up 78 migrants from a boat adrift at sea (Photo: MTI/EPA/EFE/Medina G. Angel)