In reaction to interviews with Members of the European Parliament broadcast on Hungarian television channel M1, György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, said that compliance with the migrant quotas cannot be the sole criterion of solidarity and European identity.

Mr. Bakondi highlighted that at the latest European Council meeting there was consensus on strengthening the protection of external borders, and preventing illegal, aggressive, uncontrolled mass migration.

He added that from the Hungarian point of view it is favourable that at the meeting there was no breakthrough on the issue of the mandatory quotas, even though the majority of Members States would still prefer migrants to be distributed on the basis of quotas.

Mr. Bakondi also pointed out that Hungary and the V4 countries are not alone in their negative stance on the quota system for mandatory distribution: the European Council president also believes that this is the wrong path to follow.

In a recently published document Donald Tusk, President of the Council of the European Union, called the mandatory relocation quotas “ineffective” and “highly divisive”.

(MTI)