Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Thursday said that Budapest will not approve the Post-Cotonou Agreement, due to concerns over increased migration from African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries into the European Union (EU).
The trade and development deal, which the EU wishes to enter into with 79 other countries, comprises provisions on several critical areas, including climate action, human rights protection, and migration. Specifically, it includes provisions on allowing individuals from African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to secure legal entry into the bloc through visas and for family reunification. It also lays down the process of the return of individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected by the EU. The exact text of the new agreement was agreed upon by EU negotiators in December after the original 20-year-old Cotonou development treaty expired. However, the updated treaty needs to be ratified by all members of the bloc in order to take effect.
Speaking of the deal on Thursday, Szijjártó said, “All of our proposals have been swept off the table, so we will surely not give our names to this agreement.” He added that he would continue to oppose the Post-Cotonou Agreement as it had “become a pro-migration agreement aimed at increasing migration pressure on the bloc’s member states,” which he said the bloc did not need right now, specifically in light of the “new reality that millions of people have lost their jobs in Europe”. He further complained that it was “unacceptable” that Brussels was seeking to “launch a new attack to ramp up migration in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic”.
Hungary has been at odds with the European Union on the migrant issue for some time now. The nationalist government in Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has opposed the belief that all members of the bloc should share the responsibility of inbound migrants. Speaking to Reuters in September, Orbán said that Hungary does not want “a parallel society, or open society, or a mixed-up culture” that Muslim migrants from non-EU countries would bring in.
Hungary has also clashed with the bloc over judicial independence, LGBTQ+ rights, and rule of law, and has consistently slammed the EU for its criticisms of Budapest. Furthermore, earlier this week, Hungary prevented the bloc’s foreign ministers from jointly calling for a ceasefire on the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict by rejecting a formal statement by the bloc on the matter. Budapest is the Israeli government’s closest ally in the bloc and refused to join the other 26 ministers in demanding a truce in the ongoing conflict.
Against this backdrop, the Hungarian Foreign Minister’s statement is likely to act as another blow to the country’s already fractured relationship with the EU.
Hungary to Block Treaty on Legal Migration with African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries
Hungarian Foreign Minister said that Hungary will not approve the “Post -Cotonou” deal on legal migration from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, as it will bring in more migrants into the EU.
May 21, 2021
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto SOURCE: SABAH PHOTO