Migration to be decisive factor in EP elections, says Orbán’s domestic security advisor

The issue of migration will be the deciding factor for voters in next May’s European parliamentary elections, the prime minister’s chief domestic security advisor said on Friday.

Judging by the national elections held in Europe over the past few years, public opinion on migration has shifted significantly, and this will likely have an impact on the composition of the next European Parliament, György Bakondi told a press conference.

He said illegal migrants were still making their way to Europe through three main channels: via Spain, Italy and the Balkan route that starts from Greece.

A total of 62,479 migrants arrived in Europe via Spain this year, a more than 120 percent increase over last year’s figures, Bakondi said. Most of the migrants coming through here are from Morocco, Mali, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Algeria, The Gambia and Senegal, he said.

The flow of migrants coming in through Italy has decreased by 80 percent this year thanks to the government’s strict immigration policy, Bakondi said. The strict measures meant that only 23,192 people arrived in Europe through Italy, he added.