The green opposition party LMP believes Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is no longer fit to represent Hungary’s position on migration at a European level since the Sargentini report has been approved in the European Parliament. Speaking at a press conference in Budapest over the
weekend, LMP co-leader László Lóránt Keresztes said the Hungarian prime minister had chosen a dangerous path by dismissing the criticism in the Sargentini report and trying to pretend that he is only being attacked because of his position on migration. Furthermore, this is contradicted
by the fact that the report was also approved with a substantial majority by the European People’s Party, Fidesz’s own European party group,
he said. Keresztes noted that LMP had recently summarised in a draft parliamentary resolution the measures they expect the government to take in connection with migration. The draft includes proposals such as migration policy should remain in the national competence of member states,
Europe’s external borders must be protected and illegal migration must be stopped, Keresztes said. In response to a question, Keresztes
reiterated that LMP considers the Sargentini report an important political message but decided not to vote in favour of it because that could lead to Hungary losing its vote in the European Council. Responding to Keresztes’s claims, Fidesz said in a statement that “pro- migration forces want to move Hungary out of the way of migration”. The Sargentini report was approved by pro-migration forces exactly because they want to use it as an excuse to move Hungary out of the way of migration, Fidesz said. They want “the Hungarian prime minister and the Hungarian people to tolerate without a word of complaint the settlement of migrants” and they want to take away Hungary’s right to guard its borders, the statement added. Fidesz said that they will not cede to blackmail and will defend Hungary.