György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister told Hungarian television channel M1 on Tuesday that the activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which often assist migration in cooperation with networks of people smugglers pose a threat to internal security.

By his account, these organisations are not willing to sign the code of conduct recently adopted in Italy, and they are likewise not prepared to accept the laws of Hungary.

The Hungarian position is, however, that the operation of those civil society organisations which take part in the activities related to migration must also be transparent, Mr. Bakondi said.

He added: they are now experiencing the activities of NGOs not only at sea, but also at the green borders, and this is another reason why transparency is of utmost importance.

If these organisations comply with the laws, that will not stop their activities, but they will at least become transparent, and this is of great significance, Mr. Bakondi said.

He further pointed out: the Italian turnaround regarding NGOs and the protection of the borders has steeled the determination of the Hungarian Government to ensure that organisations assisting migration from funding received from abroad cannot conceal their activities, they must become transparent, and the Cabinet has made this clear also in its reply sent to Brussels.

The activities and financial operations of pro-migration non-governmental organisations raise a great many issues not only in the Mediterranean, but also in the interior of Europe, including Hungary, Mr. Bakondi said.

If Brussels had listened to the 10-point proposal of the Hungarian Government and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán right from the beginning – namely that the applications of migrants should be assessed outside the EU and the borders must be protected –, mass illegal migration could have been curbed much earlier, and as a result, thousands of deaths resulting from people smuggling could have been prevented and the lives of thousands of people could have been saved, the chief advisor stressed.

(MTI)