Hungary's Orban Opposes EU Proposed Immigrant Quotas

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has openly stated his opposition to the proposed by EU measures on immigration. According to the proposal, immigrants coming into the EU would be distributed among the member states on a quota principle, based on GDP, population, and number of currently hosted immigrants. 

Orban made the statement at the Tuesday talks of EU leaders held in Brussels on the topic of immigration. 

"The proposal on the table from the European Commission... is absurd, bordering on insanity," Orban told EU Parliament, as quoted by Reuters. "Quotas are only going to bring more people to Europe. It is an incentive for people traffickers and it will simply tell people: yes, try to cross the Mediterranean at all costs." 

The issue has been raised to the attention of the European government, as refugee influx and incidents in border crossing along the Mediterranean have increased considerably since the beginning of the year. 

Orban added that the most immigrants coming into Hungary come from Kosovo and that the EU has not been sufficiently involved in controlling processes in the Western Balkans. 

Meanwhile, Orban's Fidesz party has been losing some of its public support in favor of the Euro-skeptic, anti-immigrant Jobbik party. Protests were held in Hungary where people stated their opposition to Orban's policies. A number of analysts believe the statement made by Orban in EU Parliament to be rallying support for upcoming election campaigns.