Hungary and several Central European countries clearly dare to say what some Western European countries have not yet told: greater illegal migration means a greater terrorist threat to Europe, said Bence Rétvári, Deputy Minister of Interior, to Hungarian journalists in Luxembourg on Thursday.
Bence Rétvári participated in the meeting of the interior ministers of the EU Member States. During the break in the forum, he stressed that no meaningful step had been taken to protect the external borders. The European Union is only simplifying the work of human smugglers by automating the admission of migrants through quotas and migration pacts, which could also increase the threat of terrorism in Europe.
Only one thing seems to work: the protection of external borders and the process of asylum applications outside the territory of the European Union. "There is no other solution. There is no other way," underlined the State Secretary.
Bence Rétvári warned that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will further increase illegal migratory pressures and threats in Europe. A wave of refugees is also exploited by those who come with wrong intentions, thus those who arrive to commit terrorist acts will also find it easier to enter Europe, he said.
Regarding the agenda item of the meeting dealing with the situation in the Schengen area, Bence Rétvári stated that the system of the area without internal border control, which is a fundamental value of the European Union, has been challenged by migration and terrorism. "The Schengen area and the interoperability of the EU's internal borders have never been in such a bad shape," he said.
He believes this the responsibility of the leaders of the European Union. He said that a series of wrong decisions in Brussels led to this and the failure to protect the external borders. As migration has not been stopped, terrorism is now on the rise, he said.
He reminded that Hungary has been emphasising since 2015 that the external borders must be protected. Hungary also protects the external border of the union so that the internal borders do not have to be re-established. The reappearance of internal borders means not only discomfort, not only a political setback and failure but also an economic disadvantage since the common internal market will be weakened and economic power will decrease in Europe - he warned.
Bence Rétvári said that Hungary's position remains that only external border protection can stop illegal migration. Hungary, therefore, continues to claim the €2 billion it has spent so far on protecting its external borders. The State Secretary also stressed that Hungary continues to oppose the adoption of the new EU migration pact and calls on the EU and the Member States to reconsider their position before it is too late.
"We consider the migration pact to be dangerous since if someone were to come to Europe to commit a terrorist act, the regulation would mean a wide open door for them as well. Let's not continue on the path of quotas but move toward protecting the external borders and thus protecting the European Union too" - added Bence Rétvári.
Source: MTI - Hungarian News Agency.
