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Coronavirus – Germany set to decide on protective gear export to Hungary
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Germany is expected to make a decision soon on whether it will lift its ban on exports of protective medical equipment and fulfil Hungary’s order for protective gear, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference after a conference call with his Visegrád Group (V4) and German counterparts, Szijjártó said the ministers had briefed each other on the status of the new coronavirus outbreak in their respective countries and the border measures they have taken as part of their response to the virus.
He said Hungarian health institutions had ordered protective gear from abroad, including Germany, noting that the country has imposed a ban on exports of such supplies. Szijjártó said he had discussed the matter with his German counterpart earlier this week and had been promised that Germany would find a way to get the protective equipment to Hungary.
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Szijjártó said that in Friday’s conference call, his German colleague said Germany had approved a new rule that allows exceptions to the ban when it comes to exporting equipment to other European Union countries. He said that hopefully, the body established to oversee the exports would soon reach a decision on shipping the equipment ordered by Hungarian health institutions.
Concerning migration, another issue on the agenda of the call, Szijjártó said the V4 and Germany expect Greece to protect the EU’s external Schengen border.
He said uncontrolled migration waves brought with them health risks, “especially in the current situation”.
Szijjártó also said that while Hungary’s standpoint against illegal migration was now mainstream in Europe, “back in 2015 we were called Nazis for it”. Back then, he said, Hungary had been on the receiving end of “serious accusations” for protecting the EU’s external border and taking a stand against illegal immigration.