In its current form, Hungary remains opposed to EU Migration Pact, Minister of Interior says

In its current form, Hungary remains opposed to the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum which is why it has not prepared a national implementation plan and does not intend to submit one in the future, Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai announced at Monday’s meeting of the Parliament’s Committee on European Affairs, according to a report by MTI.

The committee hearing was held to review the developments at the recent meeting of the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

Gábor Pósfai said that

of the solidarity pillars included in the pact—quota-based distribution, financial compensation, and technical assistance—Hungary only considers technical assistance acceptable.

However, this also requires the approval of countries facing mass migration that may need assistance. Preliminary, exploratory discussions and bilateral consultations on this matter had taken place during the Council meeting, but no agreement had been reached, he said.

He said that on the sidelines of the meeting, he spoke with the Austrian Minister of the Interior about Hungary’s objection to maintaining internal border controls. They jointly proposed that, in the medium term, border controls could be replaced by a system in which, rather than monitoring the border specifically, both Austrian and Hungarian authorities would conduct random checks in the area along the border.

He said that on the sidelines of the meeting, he spoke with the Austrian Minister of the Interior about Hungary’s objection to maintaining internal border controls. They jointly proposed that, in the medium term, border controls could be replaced by a system in which, rather than monitoring the border specifically, both Austrian and Hungarian authorities would conduct random checks in the area along the border.

In early June, Prime Minister Péter Magyar spoke in parliament about the fact that the new migration pact introduced a number of stricter measures in migration policy, and that the EU’s stance had moved significantly closer to the Hungarian position. As he said, the pact includes an option whereby, if another wave of migration were to occur, instead of taking in migrants or paying, Hungary could offer assistance to countries such as Greece, Malta, and others; thus, the pact does not in and of itself mean that Hungary is obligated to accept migrants. Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai also stated that the Tisza Party rejects both the migration quotas and the migration pact.

Fidesz and the KDNP have repeatedly attacked the new Hungarian government, claiming that Péter Magyar agreed to implement the migration pact in exchange for the release of EU funds, but is simply unwilling to admit it. Fidesz’s narrative is undermined by the fact that the package of legislative proposals submitted last week to secure EU funds contains no reference to accepting the pact, and the fact that the Magyar government is simultaneously preparing to tighten restrictions on the admission of guest workers.