Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a press conference on Tuesday that Hungary is open to consult about all legal, technical and financial questions in order to find a humane solution for the case of Fruzsina Wilhelm.

The Minister said that he had instructed the Chargé d’Affaires of Hungary to Sweden to indicate to the Swedish Ministry of Justice and to the Swedish Migration Board: the Hungarian government is open to all negotiations to find a humane solution for the case.

Following the legally binding decision in the aliens policing procedure, only one chance remains: to determine if there are obstacles to the expulsion, he explained. As the Minister said, normally such a procedure can be initiated by the applicant; however, the Swedish Migration Board did not wait for this and initiated an ex officio procedure to determine if there are obstacles to the expulsion.

It is very rare in the practice of the Board to make a decision that is favourable for the applicant in such cases and that the residence permit is granted, the Minister added. He noted that the above case had been initiated based on health claims and if the decision is based on such claims, then there will be no ground for judicial review either.

Péter Szijjártó said that it is obvious that the Swedish Migration Board wants to make a fast decision that would not be favourable for Fruzsina Wilhelm. The Minister added that they are now seeking free legal assistance available for the family in Sweden.

The Minister emphasised that they are still urging a humane solution and on Tuesday it would be communicated to the Swedish Embassy in Hungary as well that Hungary is open to discussing all legal, technical and financial questions with this goal in mind. The online portal Index wrote on Tuesday that the Swedish Migration Board wants to send back to Hungary a 20-year-old Hungarian girl suffering from intellectual disability, an orphan who has been living for the past two years in Malmo with her aunt. The authorities deem the decision justified as it is too big of a burden for Sweden to look after the girl for the rest of her life.

According to the article, the Swedish Board of Migration refused the girl’s application for a residence permit and more recently they summoned her to appear before the Board and bring her airplane ticket to Hungary with her as well. The girl went to Sweden in 2012 at the age of 18 to visit her aunt and has stayed there because her Hungarian guardians informed her in the meantime that they no longer wished to care for her.

Since then, the girl only receives disability allowanced that under Swedish circumstances is a rather small amount worth 1,550 Swedish krona per month (HUF 51,000). The Hungarian National Office for Rehabilitation and Social Affairs got in touch with the Hungarian relative in Sweden and promised that if the girl is expulsed, then they will not allow her to end up on the streets but will find her a place to live and a guardian in Hungary.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)