Mr. Speaker. before the Paris attacks. pundits sitting in farflung capitals of the world were throwing lobs at Hungary for turning a blind eye to the plight of Syrian refugees. Now that we know that one of the attackers posed as a refugee to get into Europe and then stayed in a refugee camp as he made his way from Greece to Paris. Id like to do something I know the pundits wont do: go back to an old story to make sure they got it right. First. the outside worlds opinions of what Hungary should or should not do are wholly irrelevant. Hungary is a sovereign country that ultimately will make its own political decisions based on its interests and concerns on a casebycase basis. Whether Hungary lets in refugees from a conflict that it had absolutely nothing to do with is a purely Hungarian question. Just like we wouldnt want Canada telling us what to do. nor does Hungary want countries like Germany telling it what to do. The fact of the matter is that the refugee issue is complex. There are two sides to the morality argument. Yes. there is a moral argument to helping those fleeing war. but lets not forget about the moral argument for a government keeping its promise to its citizens that it will protect them. Refugees pose serious economic and security concerns to the countries of Europe. Modest estimates suggest that Germany. who has touted a welcoming posture towards the refugees. will find itself spending as much as 10 billion euros in 2015 to accommodate these newcomers. If Hungary were to spend even half of that amount. it would cost the country upwards of 7% of its annual budget. While Germany may be financially capable of weathering the financial storm precipitated by the influx of refugees. Hungarys economy may not. Despite notable improvements in recent years in both trade and investment.
Keywords matched
Refugees refugees refugee