'Leaders are selfish': Orban's harsh words as EU tackles migration, enlargement in Granada

Record ID: 1744466

  • Title: 'Leaders are selfish': Orban's harsh words as EU tackles migration, enlargement in Granada
  • Date: 6th October 2023
  • Summary: GRANADA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 6, 2023) (HOST BROADCASTER POOL) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "There is no agreement on immigration because previously, we decided that migration will be regulated on a unilaterally agreement basis, which was changed last meeting. Poland and Hungary were not satisfied with the proposal, but they pushed us, I mean, pushed through the proposal, so Hungary and Poland were totally left out of that. So after this, there is not any chance to have any kind of compromise and agreement on migration. Politically, it's impossible - not today, generally speaking, for the next years, you know, because legally, we are - how to say it? - we are raped. So if you are raped legally, forced to accept something that you don't like, how would you like to have a compromise and agreement? It's impossible."
  • Embargoed: 20th October 2023 09:07
  • Keywords: 27 leaders EU Europe Kallas Macron Meloni Orban Spain summit
  • Location: GRANADA, SPAIN
  • City: GRANADA, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA003749806102023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday (October 5) slammed the EU's handling of immigration and enlargement, as the 27-member bloc's leaders arrived in Granada for an informal summit.
    The leaders in the Spanish city are holding the informal meeting to look for ways to avoid a new migration crisis and address a longer-term existential challenge of bringing into their bloc new countries, potentially as big and troubled as Ukraine.
    Orban said the EU pushed through with its migration proposal although Hungary and Poland were not satisfied with it.
    Asked about Georgia's candidacy to join the EU, Orban deemed it to be "enlargement fatigue" and called the leaders "selfish."
    Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that although her country supports all candidacies to join the EU, "nobody is expected to have any discounts in this regard."
    (Production: Marco Trujillo, Guillermo Martinez, Ardee Napolitano)
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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