Member States need the right kind of solidarity in the European Union in the context of the migration crisis, Minister of Human Capacities Zoltán Balog told the German national public service radio station Deutschlandfunk.

The Minister of Human Capacities stressed: it is wrong to confine solidarity to the quota system, and to determine, by judging on moral grounds, “who is good and who is evil”.

One should instead consider why “a wise person such as Donald Tusk who is always ready to cooperate” rejects the quotas. The President of the European Council did not adopt this position because “he has turned evil and should as such be condemned morally, but because he realised something that others fail to realise”.

He highlighted: the migration crisis emerged because in 2015 the borders were opened in contravention of all the regulations of the European Union. They are now seeking to remedy this mistake with the quota system which, however, “is not working”, not only in the region of the Visegrád countries, but in the whole of Europe, Mr Balog said.

He pointed out in the context of the quota lawsuit that Hungary has always observed the regulations of the EU, and will continue to do so in the future as well. Regarding the ruling of the European Court, he highlighted that others countries also have a number of legal disputes in the EU. These debates and disputes must be duly conducted, and we must reach solutions which are “equally acceptable for the Member States and comply with the regulations”.

The Minister of Human Capacities stressed that Hungary is a committed pro-EU country, and wishes to contribute to making the EU stronger. This is testified to by the fact that 80 per cent of the population support Hungary’s EU membership which is higher than the level registered in any other Member State. Hungary takes the view, however, that EU decision-making mechanisms must be changed because “the interests of the stronger” are being increasingly enforced.

Hungary fulfils its obligation related to solidarity also in connection with the migration crisis, and follows the fundamental principle that “help must be taken where there is trouble, rather than bringing trouble into Europe”.

This principle is reflected, inter alia, in the programme worth EUR 35 million which the Visegrád countries have launched together in the interest of protecting the southern border of Libya, Mr Balog argued.

He added: the Hungarian economy is rising by 4 per cent which is also beneficial for Germany, and the four Visegrád countries combined are a more important economic partner for Germany than France, for instance.

He said: the Visegrád countries are important members of the EU, they need attention, “their voice must be heard”. We must return to the “style” which characterised the EU for more or less ten years during a period when the “smaller” Member States were also allowed to have their voice heard, the Minister said.

Regarding the fact that Martin Schulz, President of the German Social Democratic Party (SDP) proposes the establishment of a United States of Europe, he highlighted that concepts such as this reflect a degree of “confusion” regarding the future of the EU.

The Minister believes that there is a need for dialogue among equal parties, and the style which seeks to lecture others should be abandoned.

The debate on the future of the EU is “open, and as long as there is no agreement, countries sharing different views should not be imposed upon”, Mr Balog said.

(MTI)