The European Commission’s “new” migration pact proposal may look prettier, mainly due to a softer image projected by President Ursula von der Leyen, but the content has hardly changed at all, Magyar Nemzet columnist Levente Sitkei writes.
One can tie a package with ordinary twine or a velvet ribbon. It can be a beautiful, ornate packaging, or a plain cardboard box. You can present it with a smile or hand it over with a grim face. But the point is still what’s in that package. The ornament does in no way alter the inner content. And the European Union is really good at fluffing and decorating something that ultimately doesn’t make any sense.
The European Commission, headed by Ursula von der Leyen, is clearly kinder, more smiling, more understanding than the body headed by Jean-Claude Juncker, presumably because the German politician is more sympathetic than the tired Luxembourger. The current leader, the new face of the EU, is reasonable and open-hearted, recognizes the interests and values of the member states and organizes the work of her committee accordingly, in stark contrast to Juncker’s disgraceful image, drunken sway and spectacular bias.
Yet von der Leyen’s migration package is, in fact, exactly the same package that was once floated by Juncker’s board, with the definite goal of making it acceptable to everyone. There the gift was tied up with twine and crumpled on its side, and to the complete amazement of Brussels – and some of the western capitals – the Visegrád countries did not bow in awe to the rich and very clever member states who would have handled the issue of the century on our account.
All this has happened five years ago. Since then the world has turned upside down, some have fallen and others have risen, terror has set Europe on fire and we have learned to live with borders in a Europe without borders.
Only Hungary remains exactly the same as then: we still won’t welcome those who choose the crooked path, we will not color sin as a virtue, we will not risk anyone’s life. They tried hard and tried to accept the quota system with the Visegrád countries in a nice way, saying that there is enough space for a thousand people in Hungary as well, but the principle remains the same, meaning that taking in even a single person is unacceptable.
Therefore, the proposal is then handed over by a new, smiling lady in a beautiful gift box wrapped in shiny paper. Obviously, there is no quota system, obviously, but no one mentioned even in passing that Hungary and the V4 were right. This is because after spending so much money and energy, and repeated abortive attempts they cannot simply let go of the business of the century.
Legislation binds the hands of the Brussels leaders, there are things even they cannot afford to do, so they cannot say that Hungary, too, is obliged to behave the way us wise and far-sighted people would want it to.
Hungary is an independent country which takes its independence and inviolability seriously and will do nothing against its will. In spite of even the UN Secretary-General standing behind the cause, propaganda roaring on the World Wide Web, beautiful black-eyed girls with wide open eyes standing desperately next to the flaming Moria’s camp, who have to say no.
This here is “operation siren”, with little girls ignored and used as instruments by the great machine, in hopes of a huge payday.
But the bottom line remains the same: even in the new package, migration remains an accepted process. It is like a coronavirus epidemic: you just have to live with it. However, we are still devoting all our energies in search of a vaccine, because we see that underneath the face masks the world is hardly smiling.
Only Central Europe is raising its voice against migration, consistently, despite all the siren sounds.
Title image: Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for a photograph prior to a meeting with the Visegrad Group at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Sept 24, 2020. (Francois Lenoir, Pool via AP)
