Visegrad Group's concerns about migration help EU sober up: Hungarian president

The concerns of the Visegrad Group (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia) about the mass refugee waves have helped make Europe sober up, said Hungarian President Janos Ader on Friday.

It has become clear for everyone that the migration crisis is a national security problem as well as a humanitarian one, Ader told a news conference on Friday after meeting with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.

Duda also termed the migration crisis as the EU most serious unsolved problem, adding that unless concrete decisions were made, the crisis would escalate.

It was important that the freedom and security of the Schengen zone be maintained, and it was only possible when the EU takes concrete measures, Duda said.

Ader called for an overview of the entire problem, noting that delays were putting millions of people into the hands of human smugglers.

Not only the EU but also individual members must seek solutions, he said, adding that adequate funding had to be provided to cover the needs of people in the refugee camps, who "may not be able to return home for years."

The president called on the EU, the United States and Arab nations to contribute, noting that faster appropriate decisions are made, sooner the suffering of the people can be alleviated.

Ader also said the long-term problem was how to rebuild the region from which they fled.

Duda called on the European Council which is holding a meeting to come up with concrete solutions to reinforce the external borders of the EU, provide financial assistance to Greece where most of the refugees are, and help all the countries with refugee camps housing Syrians. Endit