The World Bank may in the future -- through financing and development programmes -- assume a role in resolving the migration issue, Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga told Hungarian public service broadcaster Kossuth Radio.

As the Minister pointed out, the migration issue was a dominant topic at the IMF-World Bank annual meeting: there was almost no meeting or forum at which the migration problem and its potential economic effects would have been left undiscussed. He added that the world’s major economic stakeholders and economic policymakers more and more tend to believe that the root causes of conflicts must be addressed and the millions of potential immigrants, who are weighing the option of setting off towards Europe, should be kept where they are.

In the opinion of the Minister, the World Bank’s role may be to launch financing programmes which would provide a proper living and sufficient income in the country where would-be migrants are living now and peaceful conditions for everyday life in the home country of displaced people to which they could return. Accordingly, the World Bank shall try to handle the migration issue trough development projects in the Middle East – Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon – or in the Sub-Sahara region.

Mihály Varga noted that immigration will in the coming months be one of the major problems for Europe and Hungary: the question whether how it can be handled, how the root causes can be eliminated and how to solve an issue that brings rather disadvantages than advantages for several countries.

(Ministry for National Economy)