Referring to a letter addressed to Phillippe Close, the socialist mayor of Brussels, the state secretary wrote to Iván Tamás Kovács, Hungary’s ambassador to Belgium: Hungary has been on the front line of the EU’s external border protection for almost a decade and has spent more than two billion euros from its own budget to fulfill its obligations under the Schengen agreement without EU support.
Zoltán Kovács emphasized: It is Hungary, not Brussels, that suffers from a lack of solidarity.
While Hungary diligently defended Europe’s borders, it received a fine instead of support. The Court of the European Union even imposed a fine of 200 million euros on Hungary, which highlights even more how the efforts of the Hungarian government are judged differently compared to those of other EU member states, said Zoltán Kovács.
The state secretary also pointed out that if Brussels insists on forcing Hungary to accept migrants, it must be ready to share the responsibility.
“Hungary will not jeopardize its national security and will not bear this burden alone, especially when it seems that Brussels only wants to accept migrants as long as they remain in other EU member states. The call for solidarity is not just rhetoric, it demands fair treatment and real support from the EU”
added Zoltán Kovács.
In his letter to Phillipe Close, Tamás Iván Kovács drew attention to the fact that if for some reason Brussels considers migrants desirable only as long as other EU member states are forced to accept them, then the mayor should show solidarity and support so that the EU does not punish them countries that adhere to the Schengen Convention and provide external border protection, but contribute to these efforts.
The ambassador reacted to the Brussels mayor’s post last week, also published on X, in which Phillippe Close wrote: “Hungary, the beneficiary of EU solidarity, scandalously shirks its responsibility towards other member states. It is irresponsible to play with the lives of people in trouble at the expense of the people of Brussels. Do your job or say something about the Presidency of the Council of the EU”.
2024-08-28 08:34:09