“There is still not agreement with relation to immigration; Europe is still not prepared to commit itself to stopping the wave of immigration”, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs said.
At his press conference in Budapest, Péter Szijjártó also spoke about the fact that Brussels’ immigration policy is almost certain not to change in the upcoming weeks and months. “The threat of terrorism will remain with us throughout the summer”, he said.
According to the Minister, the security situation is the worst it has been in recent decades and major terrorist attacks killed 56 people and left 291 people injured this year.
“What the acts of terrorism have in common is that they were all perpetrated by immigrants or people with immigrant backgrounds”, he noted.
In view of the “never before seen level” of the terrorist threat in Europe, Mr. Szijjártó asked travellers to also register themselves in the case of short trips abroad and to not only inform the foreign office of their country of destination, but also of the city they will be staying in.
The Minister also drew attention to the fact that anyone planning a trip abroad should proceed with caution and circumspection when choosing a holiday destination and should look up the consular service’s website, where thy will find country-by-country information and security categories.
If no security level is indicated, the country is regarded as being safe, while people are advised not to travel at all to countries in category one, and travel to category two countries in category two is considered a risk, he explained.
The security category of various regions within a given country may differ, he pointed out. All embassies and consulate generals are available by telephone 24 hours-a-day during the summer, so it is worthwhile noting their telephone number before travelling, he added.
Mr. Szijjártó also mentioned the importance of travel insurance, and that people with E-111 European health insurance cards must also purchase supplementary insurance this year.
The Minister asked Hungarians travelling abroad to register themselves on the consular service website (konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu) to ensure that they can receive the most rapid possible assistance in case of a terrorist attack or other emergency.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
