Orbán cabinet: Hungary only for Hungarians, guest workers only fill labour gaps – UPDATED
Those who do not respect Hungary’s laws and regulations “do not have to stay in Hungary in any capacity”, Sándor Pintér, the interior minister, said on the closing day of the 17th Hungarian Assembly of Lawyers in Balatonalmádi on Saturday.
‘Those who don’t respect Hungarian laws don’t have to stay in Hungary’
In his talk on the legal stay of third-country citizens in Hungary, Pintér noted a regulation that entered into effect in 2024 which declares that “Hungary belongs to Hungarians”.
Guest workers, he said, may only fill positions in Hungary that can’t be taken by Hungarians.
Another basic principle, the minister said, was that guest workers are not allowed unlimited stay, and their stay is not extended automatically. Also, those who are expelled from the country have to leave, he said, adding that this was the responsibility of the person or entity who brought the individual in question to Hungary.
Meanwhile, Pintér noted that Hungary provides protection to anyone arriving from Ukraine who is in direct need of it. Hungary has welcomed some 13 million people from Ukraine so far, he said.
Around 50,000 people applied for temporary protection by March 31, of which 44,000 applications have been approved, Pintér said.
More than 1.4 million of the 13 million refugees from Ukraine declared that they were fleeing the war, he said, adding that the authorities have issued temporary residence permits to 245,000 people so far.
UPDATE: Justice minister calls for transparent, simple legal system
A transparent and simple legal system is needed both in Hungary and the European Union, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson said at the closing plenary session of the 17th Hungarian Assembly of Lawyers in Balatonalmadi on Saturday, calling for laws that support competitiveness. Tuzson said the EU was falling behind its economic competitors, adding that the legal system had become increasingly complex in recent years, which was not good for competitiveness.
He cited the example of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which he said could put EU member states at a disadvantage to countries that did not apply such rules. The minister said the government has streamlined 20,000 pages of laws, adding that transparency was equally important. Tuzson also talked about the importance of speeding up judicial processes, which he said could be achieved through simplified proceedings that could produce a first-instance ruling within 30-60 days.
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