“The European Union will be unsuccessful globally unless it implements a U-turn in its migration policy, because without stopping the influx of immigrants the continent’s security and competitiveness cannot be guaranteed”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared in the recess of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.

At his press conference, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported on the fact that the main topics of discussion at the meeting had been making joint foreign and security policy more effective and the EU’s global strategy.

With relation to the latter he highlighted the fact that instead of managing migration processes they should be stopped. “The EU must resist all pressure that would lead to Europe becoming flooded with immigrants”, he declared.

In addition, he complained about the fact that the conclusion of free trade agreements with several important players of the global economy is progressing extremely slowly, which is decreasing the European Union’s competitiveness. He said that the adoption of various “socialist-style economic proposals” such as the draft pieces of legislation concerning tax harmonisation and the communitisation of debt, would also prevent an increase in competitiveness.

“These would introduce socialism in the European Union, and accordingly we are against them. We spent a lot of time living under socialist dictatorship and don’t want it back”, he stated.

The Minister warned that the EU’s “external and internal lecturing” does not lead to cooperation or partnership and accordingly, if this continues, the continent will be neither competitive nor safe.

“Eventually, everyone will have had enough of the fact that Brussels wants to tell people how to live in far off reaches of the planet”, he underlined.

Mr. Szijjártó also spoke about efforts to introduce regulations according to which EU member states must shift to using qualified majority decision-making within the field of foreign policy.  As he explained, the Hungarian Government will be resisting this on all possible forums, and it will not be alone in doing so in view of the fact that a unanimous vote is vital in the interests of European unity.

He added that in many instances Brussels uses double standards with relation to third countries such as Russia and China, because it is precisely those countries that are loudest in criticising them or the countries that do not criticize them loudly enough that are concluding the biggest deals with them.

In reply to a question, the Minister said the introduction of the EU equivalent of the American Magnitsky law would be a “stealth method” of introducing majority decision-making. “The EU would do better to concentrate on dialogue and constructive behaviour, particularly in view of the fact the majority of such sanction regimes have been fundamentally unsuccessful”, he declared. On the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers, Mr. Szijjártó held bilateral talks with his Dutch and Austrian counterparts.

(MTI)