At his press conference on Thursday (“Government Info 22 – Government actions explained”) the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár said that the Government utterly rejects any proposal for the setting up of a refugee camp in Hungary under the supervision and control of the European Commission. The Government is unable to accept edicts, he said.
Capacity of reception centres to be enlarged
Mr. Lázár announced that the Government is planning to expand the capacity of reception centres over the next two weeks in order to provide ongoing safe care for migrants. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has instructed Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér to table a proposal for setting up at least a further two to three reception centres.
The head of the Prime Minister’s Office said that so far this year 176,000 illegal migrants have crossed the border.
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Regarding this mass migration, he said that the National Security Cabinet has received confirmation that the activities of organised criminals are intensifying in the region, and the threat of terrorist activities in Hungary has also increased.
The Minister pointed out that from 15 September a new era will begin. Those who continue to opt for the route through Hungary will have to respect the laws of Hungary, and will be required to present themselves at the official border checkpoints. Migrants will be able to submit asylum applications at border checkpoints, and they will receive protection and care until their applications have been finally decided upon: a maximum of fourteen days.
In this regard, the Minister was asked several questions on transit zones planned to be established at the border. In reply, he said that there will be no transit zones on the territory of Hungary open towards Serbia, as there would be no point in creating such zones.
There will be two groups at the border: those who have submitted their asylum applications, who can be transported to reception centres, but who will be free to move around within the country; and others, waiting in Serbia and on the Hungarian-Serbian border. Serbia will also have to take its share in providing care for these people, and the Cabinet is further seeking the assistance of civil society organisations such as the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the Hungarian Red Cross.
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Mr. Lázár further informed the press that the border fence is being built at full speed, and the original deadline of 31 October may be brought forward by as much as a month. A ten-kilometre section has been completed in the last few days. In answer to a question, the Minister said that the border fence at Röszke will have to be completed by 15 September, including a barrier on the railway line. He also told members of the press that the statutory authorisation necessary for deployment of the defence forces on additional tasks related to the migration crisis may be obtained at the end of September.
The Minister rejected allegations that the Government is not treating migrants humanely. Providing proper care for migrants is not only a legal obligation, but also a moral one, the Minister stressed, while highlighting that assistance is not being taking to where people are, but people are being transported to points where assistance is provided.
Werner Faymann’s statements are unacceptable
Mr. Lázár described Austrian chancellor Werner Faymann’s statements relating to the Hungarian government and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as outrageous and unacceptable. At the same time, he indicated that Mr. Orbán is prepared to receive the Austrian chancellor in Budapest.
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The Minister also spoke about Germany, saying that he sincerely hopes that the Berlin government’s migration policy is driven by humanitarian considerations, rather than by the desire to supply German industry with cheap labour.
In response to western politicians’ criticisms levelled against Hungary in the international press, Mr. Lázár said that “they continually hurl obscenities at us”, and that with these criticisms they are trying to pressure the Hungarian government into accepting a quota system and to create a large Hungarian refugee camp.
The Government is unable to accept edicts
Regarding the contemplated quota system, the Minister said that the Government is not absolutely rejecting a reasonable debate, but we must first come to an understanding on some basic issues: for instance, that the primary goal is protection of Europe’s borders. The Government is unable to accept the edict which several of Europe’s great powers are trying to impose on Hungary, he emphasised, and it insists on the agreement entered into with the Visegrád Four and the decisions adopted at the summit of the European Council.
The Minister further highlighted that the Government utterly rejects a proposal relating to so-called “hot spots”, which would mean setting up a refugee camp within the territory of Hungary under the supervision and control of the European Commission. There is no prospect or possibility of any kind for the establishment of a camp for as many as one hundred thousand migrants, Mr. Lázár pointed out.
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The Government is offering cooperation to aid organisations
The Government is offering cooperation opportunities to the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the Hungarian Red Cross, in order to ensure that migrants waiting at the border receive adequate care, Mr. Lázár said.
The Minister rejected allegations that the Government is not treating migrants humanely. Providing proper care for migrants is not only a legal obligation, but also a moral one, the Minister stressed, while highlighting that assistance is not being taking to where people are, but people are being transported to points where assistance is provided.
Next Tuesday the Government to discuss declaring a state of emergency
The Ministry of Interior has submitted a proposal to the Government, seeking to declare a state of emergency caused by mass migration, and the Cabinet will adopt a decision at its meeting next Tuesday, Mr. Lázár said.
The Minister said that the National Security Cabinet has received confirmation that the activities of organised criminals are intensifying in the region, and the threat of terrorist activities in Hungary has also increased.
In answer to a question, the Minister said that the border fence at Röszke will have to be completed by 15 September, including a barrier on the railway line.
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Paks II meets Euratom objectives
The European Commission has informed the Hungarian government that it has approved the technical content of the agreement on the maintenance of capacity at Paks nuclear power station, Mr. Lázár announced.
Explaining the EU decision, the Minister said that the European Commission takes the view that Paks II meets the objectives of the Euratom Treaty, and he reiterated that the Brussels body had formerly already consented to Hungary buying fuel from Russia for the Paks II nuclear facility on a long-term basis.
In the Minister’s words, the Government is one further step closer to guaranteeing the conditions necessary for generating cheap electricity in Hungary in the long term, over the next sixty years.
Mr. Lázár further informed the press that the national public utility company can supply energy to some 3.4 million households from the end of 2016 onwards. This effectively means that “we have regained the assets and the rights lost in the socialist government’s privatisation of 1995, which let loose on the country price increases in gas, electricity and district heating of several hundred per cent”, he said.
The Minister referred to state public utility services as a guarantee of long-term reductions in household utility bills, adding that there will be scope for further such reductions over the next two years. He told the press that the Government is taking ongoing action to acquire the universal electricity supply divisions of Elmű and ÉMÁSZ. He added that it will take approximately two to three years to develop the district heating system and to take it over from the local government sector.
In summary, the Minister told the press that in 2016 the state will supply gas to every household, electricity services will begin in 2017, and by 2017–2018 the Government would like to see state district heating services as widely available as possible.
The Cabinet will hold its next meeting next Tuesday. According to Mr. Lázár, the topics at the meeting will include the migration situation, a legislative package related to the reduction of red tape in public administration, church developments, the demolition of a high-rise building in Pécs, and the national anti-drug strategy.
(Prime Minister's Office, MTI)
