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“We do not want this; even if certain people wish to accelerate this process, we will fight it in all EU forums – even through legal channels, if needed”, the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister said.

He emphasised that when joining the EU, Hungary had not make any commitments according to which “it would have to agree to receive large numbers of people, and would have to accept the possibility of Hungary changing as a result”.

Accepting these people is an issue of sovereignty, he said, adding that Hungary does not interfere with the decisions of other states, and expects the same from them.

In response to a question on potential cuts in EU funds for Member States which do not want to accept migrants, he said that Hungary is entitled to these funds “because back then, Hungary opened its markets in exchange for the provision of support for its development”.

This money cannot be linked to any other condition, Mr. Tuzson stressed – especially not to one which does not form part of any EU regulation affecting Hungary.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister / MTI)

The Prime Minister highlighted before the summit of EU heads of state and government: Hungary is able to achieve this state of affairs within an hour if necessary. However, this is only „the second best solution”; the most advantageous measure would be the closing of the Greek border, and this is what we would like to achieve now, he stressed.

   

Mr Orbán pointed out: anything definitive can only be resolved with regard to the possible closure of the Hungarian-Croatian border section on Friday morning; at this point in time, we must wait for the outcome of the consultations of the V4 countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia) and the European Council.

At any event, Hungary is fully prepared: “the technical facilities necessary for protecting the green border have been completed, the necessary Hungarian live force is present”, and we have also succeeded in building an international alliance with the Visegrád partners, he said, and added: this is “a Central-European cooperation scheme which is based on heartfelt friendship”, and as part of which the V4 partners share the burdens of border protection.

Mr Orbán further told the press that he presented a proposal of six items to the latest meeting of the European Council, five of which have been effectively implemented, but the sixth item proposed, based on which “we must go down south and protect” the Greek-Turkish border, has been left untackled. It is to be hoped now that talks will take such a turn that the parties will agree on the closure of this border section, he said. The Prime Minister stated: Hungary is prepared to take part in this because, while it is able to draw the Croatian border section under the effect of the Schengen regulations as it previously did in the case of the Serbian border section, this is only the second best solution.

    

We would need Greece to meet its contractual obligations of its own accord, something which it has failed to do to date; “it is on this account that we ourselves got into trouble”, he explained. The Prime Minister added: if Greece “is unable to perform this duty, we should do so instead of Greece”.

At the European Council summit held on 23 September, Mr Orbán proposed that Greece should yield the protection of its external borders to the European countries which are prepared to take part in this project. He initiated the separation of genuine refugees and economic migrants outside the border of the Schengen zone and the identification of a list of safe countries on a European level.

The Prime Minister further recommended that each Member State should increase its EU payments by one per cent and that all expenditures should be reduced by one per cent. He additionally proposed the establishment of priority partnerships with the countries without which the situation cannot be resolved. Finally, Mr Orbán raised the idea of establishing global quotas, i.e. that the entire world should be involved in the management of the crisis.

 

(Photo: Botár Gergely/Miniszterelnökség)

The ministers welcomed the new space strategy for Europe and its strategic objectives. Ministers underlined that the implementation of the strategy can have a significant positive impact on competitiveness and bring tangible benefits to European citizens and companies. Close cooperation of all relevant players in the field of space was considered essential for the successful implementation of the strategy. In particular, the partnership between the EU and the ESA was mentioned as one of the key elements. In order to boost the competitiveness of Europe the uptake of space data by industry, SMEs and start-ups was highlighted as an important priority. Furthermore, Ministers stressed the need to reinforce Europe's autonomy in accessing space and underlined the importance of allocation of fund to achieve technological development. Better delineation between civil and military usage of EU space programmes was also highlighted.

On the Research part of the Competitiveness Council ministers adopted conclusions on measures to support early stage researchers and raise the attractiveness of scientific careers. The Council conclusions build on the Bratislava declaration that EU research ministers endorsed during their informal meeting last summer. To raise the attractiveness of scientific careers for young people, foster their talent and offer them appropriate career development opportunities was the main priority of the Slovak Presidency in the field of research.

The ministers also exchanged views on the implementation of the EU's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation. The debate focused on three main elements: framework conditions to boost international cooperation; the measures to strengthen international cooperation in the EU framework programmes and the role of science diplomacy. Ministers agreed that there is a need to collaborate at global level across disciplines and sectors to find effective solutions to global challenges. Many delegations suggested to improve the attractiveness of EU research programmes to increase the participation of researchers from third countries. A number of delegations referred to the "Prima" initiative for research projects with neighbouring Mediterranean countries as a good example of science diplomacy.

The Minister pointed out: the petition may be filed in December. He took the view that the decision on the mandatory quotas is an „imposed norm” as it has no wider social support, the majority of Europe’s population do not agree with it, and consequently, it is lacking in social legitimacy. Additionally, doubts have emerged also concerning its legitimacy from a legal point of view, given that the decision contains multiple legal errors, he explained.

The Minister highlighted: it is unclear whether the document approved with respect to the mandatory quotas is legitimate as from a content viewpoint it is a legal act qualifying as a statutory amendment, given that it is a regulation for the Member States as to how they should proceed and whom they should take in. At the same time, from a formal viewpoint, the document is described as a resolution in order not to have to observe the procedural requirements applicable to legal acts, and this is why national parliaments have not even been asked, he pointed out.

László Trócsányi took the view that the decision must be assessed on the basis of its content, rather than its description; this is what the legal practice of the European Court of Justice, too, calls for.

The Minister remarked: a resolution usually represents an urgent, temporary measure which is adopted in someone’s interest; however, it cannot have been conceived in the interest of either Hungary, or the other countries. It may have been adopted at most in the interest of Italy and Greece, but it is not the EU that comes to their aid in this case, but other Member States may be obliged to do so.

Mr Trócsányi stressed: no obligations can be imposed on Hungary and other Member States against their will. The quotas were formerly a voluntary issue, and Hungary supported this approach, he reiterated.

As he said, Slovakia, too, is preparing to take similar action to Hungary, and they hope that other countries, too, will intervene in the legal action on the side of Hungary. If the EU expects the Member States to comply with its norms, the EU and its institutions, too, must do so, he said.

He remarked: the implementation of the resolution on the quotas is still in its infancy, and the Member States are not in a hurry to apply its terms. The quotas do not work in practice; they are merely compensatory.

The Minister said: they will explore whether there is scope for instituting urgent proceedings as, in that case, a decision may be adopted within a relatively short time, but with great probability, no decision will be reached during this term of government. It is to be hoped that special significance will be attached to the issue by the court, he added.

Mr Trócsányi took the view that while the Member States delegated some of the powers stemming from their sovereignty upon accession to the EU, they did not resign the essence of their statehood, sovereignty and independence. At the same time, based on international law, as to whom a State allows into its territory depends on the decision of the given State, and a binding decision relating to this issue breaches sovereignty, he explained.

The Minister pointed out in the context of the terrorist attacks in Paris last week: there were multiple earlier attacks which should have started Europe’s population thinking. The reasons as to why this incident may have occurred, and why what happened happened in France out of all places must be analysed. The terrorist forces are interested in the maintenance of chaos, he added.

He further highlighted: we must pay attention to the national security risks inherent in migration, and it is also important how Europe is able to defend itself against terrorist attacks.

 

(Ministry of Justice)

At a press conference held after the meeting, Mr. Orbán warned of the possibility that subversive groups may be sent to Europe from the war zones in question, and this may lead to acts of terrorism.

In his view, after the terrorist attacks in Paris we should not be talking merely about the threat of terrorism, but about actual terrorist attacks; Hungary is taking the terrorist war seriously.

 

Mr. Orbán said that the flow of migrants coming from the south must be controlled even more strictly.

The Prime Minister said that he had reassured the NATO Secretary General that Hungary will continue to participate in its current missions. He stressed that Hungary’s involvement in the Baltic air-policing mission is successful, and a unit was also sent to Lithuania last year. In 2016 Hungary will continue to honour its obligations in Afghanistan, and is not reducing its troop involvement in the international missions.

He stated that Hungarians have good reason to be proud of their military, and the Hungarian government is likewise proud of the fact that some one thousand excellent Hungarian soldiers are currently serving in missions outside the country’s borders. “We shall maintain this rate and percentage”, he added.

    The Prime Minister further told the press that at the NATO summit in Wales he had made a pledge that Hungary will increase its military spending to match that of other Member States. The goal is for defence expenditure to reach two per cent of the gross domestic product. This is a long-term objective, and expenditure must be increased year by year, he explained.

He said that this is also in Hungary’s national interest; strengthening the army is essential because “today the Hungarian defence forces are not in a state to make a satisfactory contribution to the country’s military security”. He said that the extent of the country’s defence forces must be increased; this is in the national interest, and Hungary shall act accordingly, he pointed out.

Mr. Orbán said that two crisis zones pose threats to our region at present, and one of these is Ukraine. Hungary maintains the closest possible cooperation with Ukraine, which is heading in the right direction, but is far from being a stable country. Therefore Hungary is providing all the assistance it can with the stabilisation of Ukraine, he said.

    The other crisis zone is the southern region from where migrants – and together with them, terrorists – are arriving in Europe today. Hungary is playing a major role with regard to this crisis; it is providing financial assistance, and suppling military personnel to take part in training responsibilities. Its key role is also earning the appreciation of the international community.

The Prime Minister stated that, as part of the management of the migrant flow, controls must be made even more stringent. The identity, origin and intentions of everyone must be ascertained, as without this information there will be no peace and security in Europe. This is the only way to protect people’s lives, he said.

 

Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that the terrorist attacks in Paris last week were not just directed against innocent people, but against our fundamental values, against open, free and democratic societies, and we must defend these.

He said that Hungary is a valuable ally of NATO, and contributes to collective security in many different ways. Mr. Stoltenberg added that he is very grateful for Hungary’s participation in the Baltic air-policing mission and in the protection of Slovenia’s airspace, and for its contribution to the missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo.

The NATO Secretary General welcomed the Hungarian government’s announcement to increase Hungary’s defence expenditure. This is important, he said, for Hungary and for the entire organisation.

He said that we are facing grave challenges in Europe. Several NATO Member States have offered their support to France, and they are sharing intelligence with each other. They are also exploring the possibility of installing further local capacity in the region concerned, in order for the governments to be able to defend themselves and to take action against extremists and terrorists through their own efforts with NATO support. This is the reason NATO is actively involved in the training of defence forces in Afghanistan, and is also engaged in similar activities in other countries, he explained. As the Secretary General said, it is important to strengthen the protection of these countries and to stabilise them, because if they are able to take action against extremists in their own territory, “we, too, will be safer”.

    In Mr. Stoltenberg’s view the migration crisis is, in fact, a humanitarian issue, and we will be guaranteeing our own defence if we treat the problem at its root: in the region which is home to the migrants, with a political solution to the conflicts of the region.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the Secretary General said that Russia is increasingly aggressive in Ukraine, and ceasefire violations have been more frequent recently. The fact that fighting may resume in Eastern Ukraine is a daunting prospect, and therefore each party must fully honour the Minsk Protocol and the ceasefire deal, he stressed.

Finally Mr. Stoltenberg said that NATO is responding to the changed security environment, has doubled the size of its response forces, and has set up a new unit, which is able to respond within hours. Additionally, control centres have been installed in eight allied countries in East-Central Europe, with one in Hungary as well. They have also increased their presence in the eastern part of the alliance, he said.

 

(MTI, photo: Gergely Botár, kormany.hu)

You can find the speech of Prime Minister Viktor Orban by clicking here.