Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán visited Bulgaria today (19 February), on the next day after he called for a global alliance against migration, as his right-wing populist Fidesz party began campaigning for an 8 April election in which it is expected to win a third consecutive landslide victory.
Orbán said on Sunday that Europe faces a critical fissure between nation states of the East and the West, which he called an “immigrant zone, a mixed population world that heads in a direction different from ours”.
In Sofia, Orbán, without going into details, handed to Borissov a “dossier with all the proposals” containing the package of measures Hungary wants to tackle the migrant crisis.
After the two leaders’ statements, there was no opportunity for questions.
“Now a new migration proposal is on the EU table”, Orbán said, before handing over the folder. “The control of the external borders is at its center, and there is no point in talking about relocation until we guarantee the [external borders]. I acquainted the Prime Minister with this proposal”, Orbán said.
He repeated messages from his election campaign that migration “is not a good thing, as some believe”, and that it is “a threat for the Christian civilisation and the European culture”.
Borissov reacted evasively to Orbán’s idea that migrant quotas should not be a priority for the moment. “We will look at the document Victor gave us”, Borissov said, adding that the Bulgarian interior minister, after reviewing the document, will present it to the EU’s interior ministers Council, as part of the debate to re-vamp the EU Dublin agreement on asylum.
The Bulgarian PM repeated his own ideas that Europe needs a “100%” control of its external borders, that asylum-seekers should enter through the border crossing points, and that the countries who need migrants should take them on their territory.
Borissov said that in many countries the political class was “shaken” by the migrant crsisi, adding: “And don’t forget that next year we will have European elections”.
Orbán gave his support to the Bulgarian presidency of bringing the Western Balkans closer to EU membership.
At the same time, the Hungarian Prime Minister warned that “if there are no links, if there are no railways, motorways, then [accession] is superfluous – the Balkans could not cope with the economic body of the European Union.” ”
“Borisov has stuck the ax in a big tree, hopefully he will succeed”, Orbán said.
Borissov alluded to tomorrow’s visit to Sofia of Austrian PM Sebastian Kurza.
“Tomorrow we will talk to the Austrian Chancellor, I will convince him this to be a Bulgarian-Austrian presidency”, Borissov said.
Both Borissov and Kurz are EPP-affilaited politicians in alliance with far-right forces.
Elvis Austria says
Interesting article, Thank you!