“The Hungarian Government regards the fact that there is no tangible change in the European Union’s migration policy as a danger”, the Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor on Homeland Security, György Bakondi said at a press conference.

The chief security advisor stressed: “The Hungarian Government’s migration policy centres on protection, reinforcing the borders and guaranteeing public and internal security”.

“Despite our efforts there continues to be no change in the European Union’s immigration policy and invitation, distribution and the practising of a migration policy that has already had many serious consequences for several countries continues to be the norm”, he said.

“Accordingly, the Government is preparing for serious disputes at the upcoming prime ministerial summit in December, where a decision is expected to be made on the EU’s migration policy”, he added.

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Mr. Bakondi reminded the press that contrary to original plans the Schengen system of border controls will not be reinstated on 15 November after all, and instead the temporary internal border controls reintroduced by Austria, Denmark, Germany and Sweden will be extended by a further three months. As the Chief Advisor explained, this is bad news and goes against Hungary’s interests and with the initiatives that the Hungarian Government has made over the past 18 months in the interests of reinstating the Schengen acquis and reinforcing the protection of external borders.

“Although the joint EU border and coast guard was established on 6 October, Hungary did not vote for the organisation’s profile, which would have determined the personnel, technical equipment and duties of the 1500-man organisation”, he noted. “According to the plan, the number of people actually involved in performing border control duties would have been less than 500, while the majority would have been visa experts, meaning that all signs point to the fact that the organisation’s main goal would not have been the protection of the EU’S external borders but to facilitate the fastest possible entry of migrants into the European Union”, he explained.

He also referred to the fact that the European Commission had issued an appeal for member states to rapidly reduce their backlog of quotas.  “This is interesting because opposition circles in both Hungary and Europe have claimed that there has been no decision on the quota and so there is no need to take action to prevent it”, he noted.

With regard to the relocation of refugees, Mr. Bakondi said: “In July 2015 the European Commission voted to distribute 22,504 refugees among the member states on a voluntary basis, and 11,851 were eventually relocated. 2217 Syrian nationals have been relocated from Turkey to EU member states since 4 April according to the agreement between the European Union and Turkey, which is a lot more than have actually been sent back to Turkey from Greece in accordance with the agreement”.

“In September 2015 a decision was made on relocating 160 thousand people and this is the decision that Hungary took legal action against at the Court of the European Union”, he added. “1212 relocations have been performed out of the 160 thousand, but there are 24 thousand people in Greece and 20,400 in Italy whose checking has in principle been completed and who are now waiting for one of the countries who has undertaken to do so to receive them according to the relocation decision”, he explained.

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Mr. Bakondi highlighted that 16 December was an important date, because the long-term, new quota solution would again be on the agenda at the meeting of the European Council, and plans to introduce the automatic relocation of migrants without any upper limit at a legislative level as the basic element of official migration policy.

“While the EU is making repeated decisions to make relocation the fundamental element of migration policy and has striven to allow migrants entry, Hungary has been doing exactly the opposite and we believe we are on the right track”, the Chief Advisor highlighted.

“Hungary has introduced several measures to reduce migration pressure”, he recalled, listing as examples the border security fence, transit zones, the amendment of the Criminal Code, the legal border closure, the relocation of police and military, the amendment of the Act on Refugees, sending Hungarian police to reinforce border security in foreign countries and the participation of police from neighbouring countries in the protection of the Hungarian border.

“177,135 asylum requests were submitted in 2015 and asylum status was granted in 508 cases, while 28,407 asylum requests have been submitted so far this year until 13 November and 396 asylum-seekers have been granted asylum”, Mr. Bakondi highlighted.

“Meaning the Hungarian authorities have made favourable decisions with regard to everyone who is in fact eligible for asylum and protected status”, he said.

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In reply to a question concerning the proposal for a constitutional amendment put forward by the Jobbik party, the Chief Advisor said he hadn’t seen the proposal himself and didn’t know the details, but he finds it a “strange game” that the party doesn’t vote for something, and then decides to vote for it after all. If Jobbik submits its proposal it will be examined by the Government and the Fidesz parliamentary group, he said, adding that he personally doubted that the Government would be prepared to “enter into such a strange game”.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)