Protecting external borders expression of European solidarity, says government official

Berlin (MTI) – Protection of the European Union’s external borders is an expression of solidarity, a government official said on Friday at the 25th assembly of the Hungarian-German Forum held in Berlin.

Gergely Prohle, deputy state secretary for European affairs, said that the migration crisis did not only bring into question the Dublin refugee system but it also endangered the existence of the Schengen Zone governing the EU’s internal borders, “the symbol of freedom”.

He insisted that the Hungarian government had never claimed that the fence on its southern border was the solution to the crisis, but at the same time protecting the external borders is indispensable for preserving the Schengen system. It also provides “breathing space” for the EU community to think about how best to protect its common values, he added.

In his speech opening the assembly, Prohle added that the preservation of German stability and prestige was an important Hungarian interest. The two countries should allow one another greater understanding and they should speak more about what binds them together, he said.

Source: http://english.mti.hu/Pages/News.aspx?id=3664721