Judit Varga – Photo: BZT / Nóra Halász

Fidesz MEP criticises EU report on legal labour migration

Justice minister: Migration should be stopped, not supported and encouraged

The Hungarian government's position remains clear: migration should not be supported and encouraged but stopped, Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Wednesday. Varga said in an English-language Facebook post that "while the whole world is busy fighting against the coronavirus, in Brussels the left-wing parties have once again put the promotion of migration on their agenda."

“The Brussels elite, who are happy to promote multiculturalism, have discussed a new migration report, which does not even include proposals to strengthen border protection or stop illegal migration,” she added. “On the other hand, it calls for the resettlement of migrants in Europe by referring to human rights,” Varga said, adding that this showed “how far Brussels is from people’s real problems”.

Varga said “the left-wing, hiding behind the comfortable slogan of solidarity, is trying to gloss over the problems instead of solving them”.

“If we really want to help our fellow human beings in trouble, we need to treat migration locally, eliminating its root causes,” she said. “Hungary has recognised that a long time ago, and together with the Hungary Helps program, it will continue to take serious steps to ensure that everyone can live in peace in their own country.”

“The coronavirus pandemic is not over yet, so it would be timely for Brussels to finally focus on people’s real problems,” she added.

Fidesz MEP criticises EU report on legal labour migration

Ruling Fidesz MEP Balazs Hidveghi on Wednesday addressed a European Parliamentary debate on an EU report on legal labour migration, criticising the document for its “flawed basic premise and assumptions”.

“We must dispel the myth that mass migration is the answer to demographic challenges and labour market problems,” Hidveghi said in the debate on the Report on New Avenues for Legal Labour Migration. Hidveghi accused the left-wing and liberal EP groups of “forcing multiculturalism onto Europe”.

The MEP said mass migration led to fundamental changes in the makeup and cultural paradigm of a society. Hidveghi said the problems mass immigration had led to in western Europe were clear. He said that not even the more powerful and prosperous member states had managed to properly address the social, cultural and public safety challenges posed by migration.

Hidveghi said the idea that multiculturalism was preferable to a homogeneous European society was “misguided”. The EU has no need for labour migration rules, he said, adding that drafting such regulations should remain a national competence.

Countries facing demographic or labour challenges have a number of ways to address them, the MEP said, noting Hungary’s successful family and tax policies. He said it was “unacceptable” for the left to want to import migrants into Europe instead of creating jobs for those who have been put out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to Hungarian reporters after the debate, Hidveghi said a new approach was needed to resolve the issue of migration. “It’s unacceptable that migrants should be shipped to Europe with the boats of people smugglers and civil groups,” he said.

“We mustn’t transfer the power to make decisions on this issue to any Brussels-based body,” he said. “We stand firm on this.”

Hidveghi said the “Brussels elite and pro-migration MEPs” were still applying the “same flawed approach” to the issue they had been applying “since the beginning”

“The Brussels elite has learned nothing from the developments of the past years,” he said. “They’re still forcing migration onto us and choosing the same bad solutions.”

Hidveghi said most MEPs who had addressed Wednesday’s debate had approached migration strictly as a humanitarian issue.

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