Reactions in Belgium caused by Budapest’s threat to send busloads of migrants to Brussels, seat of the European institutions.

Belgium’s Deputy Minister of Asylum and Migration, Nicole De Moor, points out that “threats from Hungary to send migrants to Brussels are unacceptable and undermine EU solidarity”, adding that “Belgium will not allow access to these politically manipulated migrants flows. We must work together for a fair and humane immigration policy.”

The country’s foreign minister, Haja Lahbib, spoke of a “challenge that contradicts European obligations”. As he said, “immigration policy is a common challenge that must be faced with order and solidarity by all member states”. The mayor of Brussels, for his part, is asking the Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Crook and the country’s interior minister, Anneliese Verlinden “to block these buses at the border”. “How long will we tolerate these challenges from a country we subsidize?” asked Philippe Clos.