Hungarian Prime Minister’s Chief Security Advisor Bakondi György revealed on TV2’s Mokka program that almost 16,000 illegal migrants and 132 human traffickers were apprehended in 2024. He noted an increase in migration along the Balkan route, particularly in Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Slovenia, and attributed this to enhanced joint border patrols between Hungarian and Serbian authorities.

Bakondi praised Italy’s agreements with Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya to curb migration flows, highlighting measures like processing asylum applications outside EU borders and transferring rescued migrants to Albania. He added that illegal migration across Europe has led to heightened social tensions, security challenges, and the emergence of “no-go zones.”

He emphasized that the EU’s failure to revise its migration policies since 2015 is exacerbating these issues. Bakondi also stated that Hungary may file a lawsuit if penalized for its strict migration stance.