German politics and the German press “sent an invitation” to migrants in 2015 despite the fact that on its own Germany did not have the right to make such a decision, Minister of State for International Communication and Relations Zoltán Kovács said at a discussion organised by the 21st Century Institute that could be followed on Facebook.

Mr Kovács drew attention to the fact that illegal migration started intensifying in 2013, while in 2015 illegal immigrants arrived at the borders by the thousands every day, and when people smuggling routes leading via Budapest clogged up, that was when migrants became stuck at Keleti Railway Station. At that time, untrue accusations were levelled at Hungary on the basis of “German supremacy and moral imperialism” to a not significant extent in response to pressure from the German press which influences German politics, the Minister of State said.

Hungarian-German cooperation is, however, stable, it has traditions of hundreds of years, he stressed, adding that in Hungary also at present there are many German businesses and investors, and they see Hungary’s immigration policy in a completely different light compared with how the German press seeks to present it.

He highlighted that the Visegrád Four (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) have their own history which cannot be avoided, and upon which no alien will can be imposed. The centralisation currently under way in the EU jeopardises efficiency; there is no need for any closer integration, Mr Kovács stated.

During the discussion, senior researcher of the 21st Century Institute Frank Füredi pointed out that in Britain many people voted for Brexit – departure from the EU – due to migration.

He said the elite are cowards. Migrants have been arriving in Britain ever since, but nothing is happening. They do not have the courage to say that things cannot go on like this because they are afraid of the media, they are scared to state that migrants must be stopped. According to the elite, the problem is not that they made a mistake, but that the people noticed it, he observed.

Referring to the beginning of the migration crisis, Director of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation Gergely Prőhle drew attention to the fact that five years ago the Hungarian government – in contrast to the Greek authorities, among others – manifested lawful practices, tried to do its job, registering the new arrivals. The migrants who became stuck at Keleti Railway Station protested against this, and it was in response to this that German politics said that Hungary is treating refugees badly, and so they must be helped.

He said, on the one hand, the German Willkommenskultur is part of the historical heritage; the political elite in Germany is seeking to resort to this in order compensate for the Nazi past and to demonstrate openness. On the other hand, this is how the German Christian democrats tried to offer gestures to their coalition partners in the interest of retaining power. The shift within CDU (Christian Democratic Union) towards the Left has led to the strengthening of the German extreme right, AfD (Alternative for Germany) and the destabilisation of German internal politics.

CDU are beginning to recognise that there is a need for a change in their immigration policy, and that Europe works well if large countries also acknowledge that in different countries there are different traditions. The prevailing liberal stance must be revised, Mr Prőhle said.

As part of its series ‘In Motion’, the 21st Century Institute streamed live on Facebook the discussion ‘Willkommenskultur is 5 years old’ about the past five years of German immigration policy.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister / MTI)