Energy and migration crises in the EU need a solution, not ideological debates

This morning, the European Parliament held a debate on the preparation of the European Council meeting of 21-22 October 2021. MEP Kinga Gál, President of the Fidesz Delegation to the European Parliament, pointed out that the European Commission has made mistake after mistake in dealing with the migration crisis, just as it has done regarding the energy crisis. “Hungary will not allow the costs of the energy crisis to be paid for by its citizens, and once again it has been criticised for this, the same way it was disciplined for its effective border protection”, she stressed.

In her speech this morning, MEP Kinga Gál underlined that in 2015, the European Commission was unable to tackle the illegal migration crisis, made mistake after mistake, and was late in taking action. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing the same thing now with the energy crisis, with skyrocketing electricity and gas prices affecting the majority of European citizens. Hungary has already implemented utility price cuts and will not let Hungarian citizens pay the costs of the energy crisis. While the price of gas and electricity today in Berlin is double that of Budapest and three times higher in Vienna, Hungarian consumers are feeling only the rise in fuel costs at most, and not the huge increase in energy prices in general. But despite this, Hungary only receives criticism from the European Commission”, MEP Kinga Gál said.

The Fidesz MEP stressed that although this is a regulatory issue, the Commission is not helping Member States solve the crisis. “The similarity with the fight against illegal migration is clear. Hungary has been effectively protecting its external borders for years, for which it has also been only subjected to discipline. Now that the EU is under migratory pressure from the east, one can only hope that effective protection of external borders will finally be given priority. The situation in Afghanistan has made it obvious that illegal migration must be stopped as far from Europe as possible to prevent another migration crisis. The Commission is apparently unable to deal with such crises and should instead help Member States take the steps necessary. Neither the energy crisis nor the migration crisis should become a matter for ideological debate, not in the EP nor among Member States”, the MEP stressed.

MEP Kinga Gál underlined that “It is outrageous that Brussels, in the midst of such serious crises, is using blackmail, with artificially created rule of law conditions, for political reasons. Instead, the principles laid down in the Treaties, ‘cooperation in good faith’, should be guiding the Commission and the Parliament to treat all Member States equally”.