MEP of Fidesz: Following Brussels' Migration Rules Would Have Turned Hungary Into Immigrant Country

Following Brussels' migration rules would have turned Hungary into an immigrant country by now, Tamas Deutsch, MEP of Fidesz, said on public radio on Sunday. Next week's European Parliament session in Strasbourg could make it clear that the program formulated by the Hungarian government and prime minister for Hungary's rotating presidency names the real problems of the European Union and its member states, does not seek to conceal them, and contains tangible proposals for solving them, the Hungarian MEP said.

Tamas Deutsch, EP group leader of the Fidesz and the Christian Democrats, speaks to the press after the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) of the European Parliament in Brussels on July 23, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)

Improving the ruined competitiveness of the European economy is one of the priorities during Hungary's rotating presidency, the MEP of Fidesz said. 

Denying the serious problem posed by the European economy's competitiveness and saying that everything must be done in the same way as before is not the path for Hungary's government and prime minister to follow, as this would bring about no change resulting in the European economy falling further behind. Hungary's program calls for a substantial change, a new European competitiveness pact," Tamas Deutsch said, adding that Hungary holding the EU presidency will also focus on curbing illegal migration.

"While Brussels considers it important to manage illegal migration flows towards the EU and has pushed through such legislation in the migration pact, encouraging rather than curbing illegal migration, Hungary during its rotating presidency would like to discuss proposals that will finally put a stop to illegal migration," the MEP said. The opposition parties in Hungary and the Fidesz-Christian Democrats hold differing positions on the issue, he pointed out, noting that Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, has made it clear in recent days that he is in favor of applying Brussels' migration rules in Hungary.

 If this had been the case, if we had applied Brussels' migration rules instead of protecting Hungary's borders, in defiance of Brussels if necessary, Hungary would have turned into an immigrant country,

Tamas Deutsch stressed.

Europe is struggling with serious demographic problems, and the program of the Hungarian presidency also focuses on these challenges, the MEP said, highlighting that Hungary's prime minister will touch on these key issues in his address to the European Parliament on Wednesday. He noted that it is not a reward but an obligation for the  prime minister or president of the country holding the rotating EU  presidency to present their program to the EP plenary session. The MEP called the information published in the European and Hungarian press to the contrary a deliberate misrepresentation. 

The EP has earned the right, after many decades of struggle, for the prime minister holding the rotating presidency to present his ideas to MEPs directly elected by the citizens of Europe, and the EP is where this European agenda can be debated, he said.  As the politician put it, "they are not setting the stage for Viktor Orban",  Hungary's prime minister will perform a duty, "which is a sweet burden for any holder of the EU presidency", but "we have come to the point where, driven by political antipathy, a number of pro-war EP groups and MEPs would have given up this acquired right to keep Viktor Orban away from this debate". 

Democracy is a political system for meaningful debate, for the confrontation of differing opinions, but it seems that the progressive forces, the liberals, the EPP, the Greens, the communists and the socialists want to run a European democracy where they do not want to have a debate with those who disagree with them. These forces want to take away the possibility of debate and deny their opponents participation in the European dialogue, simply because they have the courage to take a position that differs from the European mainstream,

he explained.

Tamas Deutsch took the view that the MEPs of the Hungarian opposition will exploit this opportunity again. However, there is no doubt that "they will not use this opportunity to give their opinion on Hungary's program for the EU presidency or lend support to the goals, but to discredit their own country regurgitating their divergent opinions, misrepresentations, lies and slanders they draw on in Hungarian domestic politics. In short, they want to attack their own country in the back once again."

Tamas Deutsch said that he expects the debate in the European Parliament to be characterized by a duality: with the Hungarian opposition at the forefront, there will be all kinds of attacks, slanders and accusations about the Hungarian government's activities in Hungary. However,  "the debate next week will not be about that", but about the ideas for Europe formulated by the Hungarian government, which is holding the presidency of the Council, an important EU institution of 27 EU member states. Those who have looked at these ideas through this lens so far have all expressed a supportive view," he said.

Cover photo: Tamas Deutsch, EP group leader of the Fidesz and the Christian Democrats, speaks to the press after the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) of the European Parliament in Brussels on July 23, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)