Hungarian government to turn to EU, UN over ‘migrant cards’

The government will ask the EU and the United Nations for clarification concerning “the rather unclear circumstances” surrounding debit cards issued to migrants, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said at a weekly government press briefing on Thursday.

Gergely Gulyás called it “unacceptable” that migrants should be granted debit cards without personal identification and said it posed risks in terms of fighting terrorism, people smuggling or money laundering.

He welcomed the European Parliament’s recent rejection of introducing a European “humanitarian visa system”.

Gruevski case

Concerning former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s recent request for asylum in Hungary, Gulyas said it was “a legal rather than an inter-governmental matter”. He said that the Hungarian state had not provided Gruevski any help with leaving Macedonia. The former prime minister had filed a declaration of intent to apply for refugee status at a Hungarian diplomatic mission outside Macedonia, Gulyas said. He said that a decision was then made for safety reasons that Gruevski should be interviewed in Budapest rather than in the transit zone, and added that it was “general practice with former political leaders”.

“Gruevski has not met Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,” Gulyás said.

Answering a question, he said Hungarian authorities would follow the relevant “security protocol” and ensure that Gruevski could not leave Hungary. Read more news about Gruevski case.

Brexit

In answer to a question related to Brexit, the Minister said Hungary would have been better pleased if Britain had opted to remain a member of the EU, but British electors adopted a decision to the contrary, and a country cannot be penalised due to a democratic decision. We need a fair Brexit, in the long run the EU and Britain will have to build the most advantageous possible relations, and Hungary therefore welcomes the increased chance of an agreement, he stated.

He took the view that while an extraordinary EU summit will be held next Sunday to address this issue, the approval of EU heads of state and government is not enough in itself. The agreement is also subject to the approval of the British Parliament, and in this regard he has major doubts. Even if no agreement is reached, the rights of the Hungarians already working there will not be curtailed in any way, he said.

The Minister said that a net contributor member is leaving the EU, and Britain’s contribution accounted for 12 to 13 per cent of the EU budget. According to Hungary, during the next seven-year financial framework either every Member State will proportionately increase their contributions, and as a result, the grand total of the budget will not decrease, or they will accept a 12 to 13 per cent fall in the budget and EU grants will be reduced accordingly, he explained.

Verhofstadt’s billboard campaign

In answer to a question, Mr Gulyás said regarding MEP Guy Verhofstadt’s billboard campaign that the European liberals are working “with a broad repertoire of political folklore”. This is about George Soros’s revenge, and the European liberals have joined this campaign, he said.

The Minister said in answer to an enquiry concerning the EP decision on the state of the rule of law in Romania that “after what happened in Hungary’s case”, the EP is no longer an authentic forum to pass judgement on issues of this nature.

He also said that they will send the results of the consultations on the future of Europe to French President Emmanuel Macron.

He said in answer to a question that the government has filed its action with the European Court of Justice against the Sargentini report.