Hungary will not accept any compulsory placement of migrants on its territory, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said ahead of an EU summit on migration, where leaders agreed on €3 billion grant for Turkey to stem the flow of migrants to Europe.
Hungary wants guarantees that the action plan to be adopted at the summit will not be disadvantageous from Hungary’s point of view, Orbán said. The plan adopted at the last summit could have “gone sour” in which case Hungary would have had to take in migrants involuntarily, he said, adding that he hoped the current plans with Turkey would not bring about such a situation.
Orbán said Hungary will support the action plan which hopefully will reduce the migration pressure on the EU and Hungary.
In a statement on Sunday, the European Council said that the summit could be a milestone in efforts to protect the EU’s external borders and in reviving accession talks with Turkey. Under the new action plan, Turkey will agree to step up border control and fight people smuggling, as well as receiving the asylum seekers sent back by the EU. In return, Turkey could expect an acceleration of talks aimed at lifting European visa requirements, and funds totalling €3 billion to finance services for refugees on its territory.
