Mr. Orbán told public media that “The musket is not only primed but loaded: in Europe in the future a permanent and mandatory migrant relocation quota mechanism will be established, with no upper limit on numbers: the mandatory relocation quota”.
The Prime Minister added that “The report isn’t about the current situation, but about the future, and it ignores the danger in migration’s link with terrorism and a decline in public safety; and they continue to seek to seize spheres of competence from Member States”.
“It is true that we are waist-deep in the struggle to protect this slice of our national sovereignty, but so far we have succeeded, because until now we have been the ones who decide who can live on Hungarian territory”, Mr. Orbán said, “but the attack on our sovereignty that the European Parliament has now launched is fiercer than any previous one”.
At such times national unity would be useful, he declared, but this does not yet exist, because “the opposition parties support the Brussels immigration policy based on mandatory quotas”.
The Prime Minister said that it is outrageous that even a Hungarian opposition politician took part in drafting the report in question. He remarked that “Few things are more despicable than someone working in Brussels on the migrant issue in opposition to Hungarian national interests”.
“While this government is in power and I am at its head, there will be no kind of relocation or quota in Hungary”, the Prime Minister underlined, adding that one can expect tough and prolonged disputes, and so “we need to gird our loins”.
Mr. Orbán also spoke about an “unprecedented” working dinner on Wednesday evening, to which Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, invited the heads of government of the Visegrád Group (V4) countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
The Prime Minister explained that on certain issues the difference in attitudes between the countries of the V4 and the European Commission is “alarming and almost hopeless”. The differences, he said, are more rooted in culture than politics, and the way in which the two sides view Europe’s present and future – for instance with regard to migration.
“Despite all this, the meeting was a success, as we clarified several misunderstandings, and were able to tell Mr. Juncker that the citizens of Central Europe – including Hungarian citizens – seek greater respect”, the Prime Minister said, adding that there is a chance of improvement in cooperation between the parties.
He also declared that “It must be recognised that today Central Europe is the most successful region in Europe”.
In closing, Mr. Orbán also said that it is important to accelerate EU accession negotiations with Montenegro and Serbia so that the two countries – particularly the latter – can become members of the European Union as soon as possible.
“By doing so, the EU would stabilise the situation in the Balkan region”, the Prime Minister added.
Mr. Orbán stated that the Turkish situation had also been on the agenda of the meeting of heads of state and government, stressing that “Turkey cannot be understood without taking the Balkans into account”.