Hungary FM Presses for Stricter Immigration Policy + Video

Without a stringent immigration policy, Europe's security would be undermined, said Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen (r)receives Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Copenhagen on, April 15, 2024. (Photo: MTI/EPA/Ritzau/Ida Marie Odgaard)

Hungary and Denmark are committed to a strict immigration policy, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in Copenhagen on Monday, adding that during its EU presidency Hungary would prioritize stopping migration. During a joint press conference held with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Hungarian minister said they primarily discussed the priorities of Hungary's upcoming EU presidency. 

This will take place at a time when the bloc is not in its best shape, he said, as its security situation and competitiveness have deteriorated dramatically in recent years.

In this context, the Hungarian minister said improving Europe's security and competitiveness would be the chief aims of Hungary's presidency. He underscored that without a stringent immigration policy, Europe's security would be compromised, as continued migration influxes could exacerbate security challenges, fuel organized crime, and heighten the threat of terrorism. "And we don't need any of these," he added.

He stressed Hungary's steadfast commitment to a strict immigration policy, which is based on strong border protection and stopping migration instead of managing it. It must be made clear, he said, that migrants can only enter Europe legally, and help should be given at the location of the problem rather than the problem being imported. Africa’s population was on track to grow by an estimated 750 million in the next twenty years, he highlighted, pointing out that jobs, health care, and education must be made available to these people. 

We’ll find ourselves facing an insurmountable challenge unless such conditions are provided,

the minister warned.

Commending Denmark's migration policy as a beacon of common sense within the EU, the Hungarian minister pointed to Denmark's strict measures and recent initiatives aimed at curbing migration. Peter Szijjarto also emphasized the shared export-oriented economies of Hungary and Denmark and the success both countries have achieved in this field. "So it's in our common interest that global trade should be free of barriers, fair and uniform," he stressed.

In this vein, he called for the EU to accelerate free trade negotiations with rapidly growing states such as those in South-East Asia.

He underscored that trade disputes should be resolved on a common-sense basis without mixing them up with ideological issues. In conclusion, the Hungarian minister welcomed the ties between the two countries, calling the economic cooperation a success story. Danish companies, he noted, are among the top 20 foreign investors in Hungary, and the government has concluded strategic partnerships with three of them. Last year bilateral trade turnover hit a record 1.6 billion euros, the minister added.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen (r) receives Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Copenhagen on April 15,  2024.  (Photo: MTI/EPA/Ritzau/Ida Marie Odgaard)