Dubai: Hungary is warning the European refugee crisis will worsen this year with a wave of refugees expected to enter the continent over the summer.
Europe is struggling to cope with its worst refugee crisis since the Second World War with millions entering the bloc from Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and elsewhere in 2015.
The European Union’s border control agency, Frontex, has said 30 times as many refugees entered Europe in January and February than a year ago, and the United Nation’s refugee agency announced that 131,724 people had crossed the Mediterranean — mostly into Greece — so far this year, nearly as many in the first six months of 2015.
“This year the pressure will be bigger,” Hungary’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told Gulf News in an interview at a Dubai hotel on Wednesday.
Hungary estimates between 30 million and 35 million “possible migrants” are living in countries to the south and south east of Europe that could make their way to the continent this year.
Szijjártó hit out at other EU states, particularly Greece, who he said have left Europe’s borders “defenceless” as the wave of refugees continue to enter the continent.
“[The] European Union is defenceless because the southern border of Greece is not protected,” he said.
Hungary shut its borders with non-EU Schengen countries Croatia and Serbia last year at a cost of €200 million which it says has stopped the flow of refugees entering the Central European state.
But with Hungary expecting the crisis to worsen this year, Szijjártó said his country is ready to close its borders with other neighbouring non-Schengen countries if the route used by refugees to enter the EU was to shift to Eastern Europe.
“If Romania is not able to protect her own border then we have to build a fence … on the Ukrainian border, if necessary, we can do the same,” he said.
Hungary would not shut its border with Slovakia, which is a Schengen country, but would assist it in closing its borders if necessary, Szijjártó said.
Hungary is also opposing the €480 million in emergency EU funding Greece is requesting to help provide shelter for up to 100,000 refugees
“If the (Greece) border is not protected then we can’t talk about anything else,” Szijjártó said.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister is in the UAE this week attending the first joint Hungary-UAE economic committee meeting, which was held in Dubai on Wednesday.
Szijjártó said he discussed the Syrian conflict, the major source of the European refugee crisis, with Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on Tuesday.
The two ministers agreed that the refugee crisis will not end until a Syrian solution is found, including a “breakthrough” in fighting terrorist groups in the region, and when the European Union can agree on border control measures, Szijjártó said.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister said he supports more EU funding to be directed to the construction of refugee camps in Jordan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Lebanon and Turkey who are hosting the majority of those who have fled Syria.
