Migrants the topic for V4

Slovakia officially takes over the presidency of the Visegrad Four (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) group of countries today. Before the official takeover of the presidency which begins on July 1, the prime minister was also holding talks with his V4 counterparts; Viktor Orbán from Hungary, Andrej Babiš from the Czech Republic and Mateusz Morawiecki from Poland. Later, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz joined them. One of the main topics of the meeting was migration. V4 countries are known for their resistance to any system involving the mandatory redistribution of refugees and migrants. Furthermore, Hungarian Parliament passed controversial legislation on Wednesday which includes a ban on helping groups that assist migrants. According to the BBC, under the law, anyone found to be “facilitating illegal immigration,” such as by assisting nongovernmental organisations which help migrants seek asylum, faces up to a year in jail. The legislation has faced fierce international criticism. The United Nations refugee agency urged Hungary to throw out the proposed bill, saying it would “deprive people who are forced to flee their homes of critical aid and services,” while further inflaming tensions in the region. The question of migration will also be discussed a week later at the European Council.