Migration becoming key public security issue: Hungarian PM

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban here on Friday said migration had become the number one public security issue in the European Union (EU), and people must be protected.

So far, the migration crisis has been handled as an economic and cultural issue, Orban said at a joint press conference after talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov.

However, in recent weeks it has become a question of security and safety because the threat of terrorism is increasing and public security is deteriorating, Orban said.

According to him, European citizens are living under threat, especially "the more vulnerable ones; women and those who cannot defend themselves," a situation the premier deemed unacceptable.

There is an increasing number of European countries that are unable to provide safety and protection to their citizens, and this situation has to be taken seriously, Orban said.

This is not the time to protect principles, but the time to protect people from the threat of terrorism and crime, he added.

In turn, Borissov said progress could be made if the EU closed its external borders until the situation of those migrants who are already here was settled.

Borissov said he hoped his European counterparts would be more active in resolving these issues. Endit