Hungary to propose amendments to Dublin rules reform, UN migrant package

Hungary will propose amendments to both the UN’s migration package and the draft reforms to the Dublin refugee system, making it clear that migration “is bad, poses risks and should be stopped”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Sofia on Thursday.

The various sides negotiating the UN’s draft document on migration and the changes to the Dublin rules have a special responsibility, Szijjártó told MTI by phone. If the view that migration is a good thing and something that should be encouraged takes hold, it could entice the roughly 15 million internal refugees and people in need of humanitarian aid in Europe’s neighbourhood to set off for the continent, the minister argued.

The proposals Hungary will put forward will also take a firm stance against mandatory automatic migrant resettlement quotas, Szijjártó said.

“We will oppose and veto any proposal that seeks to impose resettlement quotas or mechanisms, either directly or indirectly,” the minister said.

The Hungarian government will also stress the need for strong border protections and strict punishments for illegal border crossing.

“Safety must come first and this cannot be cast aside or become an afterthought,” Szijjártó added. “It is the European Union’s responsibility to guarantee the security of its member states and citizens.”

Hungary will also call for a strict repatriation policy; those who entered Europe and are residing on the continent illegally must be sent back to their countries of origin as quickly as possible, Szijjártó said.

The Hungarian government’s proposals would guarantee Europe’s security, while the planned reforms to the Dublin rules and the UN’s migration package would only endanger the continent, he insisted.

Source: MTI