PM Orbán addresses European Parliament

The leading left-wing daily accuses the Prime Minister of provoking both his domestic and foreign audience. A pro-government analyst believes that he has clear answers to migration problems while his counterparts do not have a clue what to do with newcomers.

On Tuesday, the European Parliament held a debate on PM Orbán’s recent remarks on immigration quotas and the death sentence. The PM told MEPs that immigration issues should be decided by nation states. The Prime Minister underlined that Hungary has always granted asylum to refugees, but it cannot give employment to migrants who are not persecuted but are seeking job opportunities.

Népszabadság in a front page editorial accuses PM Orbán of confusing threats created by terrorists with issues of migration. The left-wing daily suspects that with his statements on the death penalty and immigration Mr Orbán wants to provoke his opponents rather than spell out clear policy reforms. While this strategy has worked so far within Hungary, PM Orbán could not convincingly make his case in the EP, in the crossfire of politicians expressing their contempt for his ideas, Népszabadság writes.

Orbán has won the debate, Tamás Lánczi contends in Mozgástér blog. The pro-government political scientist finds it bizarre that some MEPs have been preoccupied with the Hungarian government’s nationwide consultation questionnaire on immigration rather than trying to solve the mounting immigration crisis. While PM Orbán offers clear and bold answers to issues of immigration, his critics “have kept repeating the same old mantras since 1968” but have no clue what to do with the one million prospective immigrants that are trying to enter Europe these days, Lánczi concludes.

Tags: European Parliament, immigration, Orbán, refugees