Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called on the European Union (EU) to grant funding for the construction of fences on the border, writes Reuters.
Before the EU summit planned for the 9th and 10th of February, where migration problems will be discussed, Orban has brought back for discussion an idea that seemed unthinkable for a long time. The bloc’s border control agency reported 330 thousand cases of illegal border crossing last year, which is the highest number since 2016.
There is no consensus among EU countries on how to deal with illegal immigrants who have already arrived in Europe. Several countries, including Poland, Hungary, and Slovenia, have erected fences to prevent refugees and migrants from entering the country. The European Commission (EC) has so far refused to finance such fences, stating that their construction is against European values and contradicts human rights.
In a call with colleagues from Poland, Belgium, Finland, Malta, and Bulgaria, Orban called on the EU to grant funding for this type of projects, stating that fences protect the whole of Europe.
The EU states that Syrians, Afghans, and Tunisians dominate among illegal immigrants. Only a third of immigrants receive asylum, the rest are sent back.
In a joint letter sent ahead of the upcoming summit, the leaders of Malta, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Austria, and Slovakia stated that the current EU asylum system is not functioning and it is necessary to urgently look for new and successful solutions.
The fundamental difference of opinion in the bloc on how to deal with the immigrant crisis means that the hopes of an agreement on a new approach before the European Parliament elections scheduled for 2024 are weak. Human rights organizations criticize Europe’s increasingly strict approach as illegal and inhumane. Other critics say the tough talk serves right-wing politicians to score points with voters and does not address Europe’s growing labor problems.
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