Writing for a conservative German newspaper, the Hungarian Prime Minister has called upon his fellow leaders to take back national powers from the European Union (EU), and blamed Brussels for creating the migrant crisis.
Remarking that Brexit — the United Kingdom’s pending withdrawal from the EU — is the first sign of the continental power bloc moving “towards disintegration”, Mr. Orbán demanded in his article ‘Are You Opposed to Peace?’ in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for an end to the “idealisation of the European project”.
Mr. Orbán, who has at times been the strongest and most effective voice in Europe arguing in favour of border security and against the migrant crisis, said providing a sense of security to the 444 million remaining citizens of the bloc was one of the EU’s fundamental roles. This could not be done without adequate “protection of its external borders”, he said.
Giving the Hungarian experience as an example of good practice to be emulated by other European states, Mr. Orbán pointed to the border fence he had ordered be built, which effectively reduced the number of illegal crossings into his country from tens of thousands to dozens in just a matter of days within completion.
Mr. Orbán wrote that in building the wall and protecting Central and Western Europe from mass migration, he had performed his European duty: “As a result we have, at least on our border area, protected the living and economic model of Europe.”
The Hungarian Prime Minister said the success of Europe required every “individual, every nation, and every member state” to work, and that they shouldn’t sit back and wait for the Commission to try and fix problems. “Institutions cannot act in their stead,” he said.
Calling for an end to ‘ever closer union’ and for nations to take command of their own futures in Europe, Mr. Orbán said Brussels “must not marginalise member states”.
The article forms part of Mr. Orbán’s continuing mission to prevent the EU forcing immigration quotas on Hungary and other nations. The Union is presently pressing to punish Hungary for rejecting the plan, by fining the nation nearly €250,000 per migrant they refuse to take.
The issue is causing a particular row in Hungary at the moment, reports HungaryToday, as a number of left-wing Members of the European Parliament from the nation have voted in favour of their own country being punished, because they want to see mass migration to their homeland.
A government statement on the left-wing vote to punish Hungary said: “This outrageous proposal is yet another sign that Brussels is utterly insensitive to reality and has lost touch with voters… The Hungarian political Left has again chosen to represent the interests of Brussels rather than those of the Hungarian people”.
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