Orbán: ‘Everyone will agree with me on migration’

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán revealed his country's priorities for their Council presidency earlier than expected in a press conference on Tuesday (8 October), seeking to get ahead of grilling in the European Parliament.

Orbán is due to present the priorities to the Parliament plenary on Wednesday morning (9 October), where is expected to field questions from MEPs on his government's credibility and the rule of law situation in Hungary.

The Prime Minister made his return to the European Parliament in Strasbourg after missing September’s plenary due to the extreme weather and floods that hit Hungary last month. He had been due to present Hungary's priorities for their presidency then.

Instead, migration and border control took center stage during a lengthy press conference on Tuesday. Orbán emphasised that the EU now faces a far more serious situation than in 2011, when Hungary took the council presidency for the first time in its history.

"We see a war in Europe. There are serious conflicts in the East, in Africa, and we’re feeling the consequences. Every international conflict risk escalation,” he said

Orbán also warned that the 2015 migration crisis has not subsided, adding, "the security risks to the Schengen area are very serious." 

Last month, Germany reintroduced checks at all its border crossings, sparking controversy among European countries.  

The Prime Minister stated that to effectively address migratory challenges, the EU must "change."

"You can propose any kind of migration pact, but migration can only be stopped by having controls in place," Orban said, highlighting the need for stronger border measures.

A new system should be based on efforts to stop people at the borders, with “hotspots outside the EU” receiving increasing numbers of migrants for processing, he added.

Moreover Orbán argued that requests for asylum should be made before entry into the EU. “If not approved they should not be let in,” he said.  

In June, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) ordered Hungary to pay €200 million for failing to implement necessary changes to its policies regarding migrants and asylum seekers at its border. At the time, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán condemned the ruling, calling it "outrageous and unacceptable."

“Hungary is being punished of doing that by the EU,” Orbán told journalists on Tuesday.

When questioned about his remarks made at the annual Lega Pontida rally last weekend, where he stated that if irregular immigration continues in Europe, Hungary will "take migrants to Brussels and drop them off in front of the Brussels offices", the Prime Minister responded that he would adhere to European law.

However, he added that if an asylum seeker in Hungary wishes to go to Brussels, "we will help them."

The Prime Minister also floated the idea of proposing a Schengen Summit, calling for all Schengen member countries to convene for collective action on the security challenges facing the area.

“Since 2015 everyone said that I am an idiot or evil to have this point of view. But at the end of the day everyone is going to agree with me in the end,” he added. 

[Edited by Owen Morgan]