‘Close the borders’ call from Hungary as big splits emerge over EU migrant crisis

Big divisions over how to tackle Europe’s migrant crisis emerged even before leaders sat down to discuss the issue. Hungary’s prime minister said Europe should shut its borders to migrants and not let anyone in without registration and permission. Speaking upon his arrival to the summit in Brussels, Viktor Orban said that any plan to resettle people from Turkey or Greece would only add “fuel to the fire” and cause even more people to come. Orban said that Hungary wouldn’t participate in any resettlement plan and that “nothing should be done without the closing of the borders”. EU leaders believe Turkey has not done enough to stem the tide of migrants passing through the country and on to Greece – and into Europe.

In Europe we have some principles, some values –one was sharing responsibility, sharing the burden, sharing solidarity. Everyone has to implement our common decisions.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had earlier spent five hours with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels - a meeting that ended at 2.45 a.m. on Monday - to nail down commitments to halt the migrant flow after more than one million people entered Europe last year, most ending up in Germany. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will also be pressing the bloc to deliver on promises made last September to relocate registered asylum seekers from Greece to other EU countries. The leaders are also likely to tell Davutoglu of their concerns about human rights after the Turkish government seized control of a critical newspaper.

I’m moderately optimistic that we can take such steps today.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte

EU migrants