Border protection does not only defend Europe but also saves human lives

Press Release by MEP Balázs Hidvéghi

“The Hungarian people have given us a mandate to make it clear to the European Parliament and the leadership of the Union that the EU’s external borders, both on land and at sea, must be protected, operation of NGO vessels assisting human trafficking must be prevented, economic migrants must be distinguished from refugees escaping war zones, and help must be taken where there is trouble, instead of bringing the trouble over here,” said Balázs Hidvéghi, MEP of the Fidesz-KDNP delegation during yesterday’s EP plenary session in Strasbourg.

According to the EPP Group MEP, time has proven that since the introduction of stricter border protection measures, the number of immigrants that perish on the Mediterranean Sea has decreased radically. Mass deaths occur if Europe lets human traffickers and suspicious NGO vessels operate on the sea. “Border protection doesn’t only defend Europe but also saves human lives. If we make it clear that it is not worth to set sail from Africa in dinghies, then nobody will drown,” Hidvéghi said.

The right humanitarian approach is to make it known that illegal border crossing is not an option, Hídvéghi pointed out. “If Europe doesn’t defend herself, there will be demographic, security and cultural changes in the near future that could lead to the end of European civilization and the European Union, as nobody will be able to control those. The European Parliament bears enormous responsibility in this matter,” he said.

“With the new leadership, Europe was granted the opportunity to act rationally and save lives in a truly humanitarian manner while defending the interests of European people,” Hidvéghi said in closing.