Hungary should be expelled from European Union, says Luxembourg

The direct call for the exclusion of a fellow European Union member state was unprecedented, and underscored the extent of Europe’s divisions over sharing responsibility for the more than 1 million migrants and refugees who reached its shores a year ago.

Mr Asselborn’s interview with German daily Die Welt is likely to inflame passions ahead of the summit.

“This statement serves little objective for me”, Sebastian Kurz said, adding that there always should be some space for “heated argument” in the European Union. “Hungary is not far away from issuing orders to fire on refugees”, he said.

Foreign minister Jean Asselborn said the Hungarian government had disregarded the “values of the EU” with its tough approach to migration.

He cited fences erected by Hungary to keep out asylum-seekers fleeing civil war in Syria and unrest elsewhere, as well as reported violations of the freedom of press and the judiciary by the country’s right-wing government.

Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto responded promptly, accusing Asselborn of working “tirelessly on destroying European security and culture” and living “a sermonising, pompous and frustrated life”.

Hungary built a razor-wire fence over 100 miles long previous year to stem the flow of migrants entering the country, majority en route to northern European nations from countries including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

On October 2 Hungarian citizens entitled to vote are called to the referendum that should say whether or not they agree for their country to receive refugees, the mandatory quotas set by the European Commission.

“The fence that Hungary is building to keep out refugees is getting longer, higher and more risky”.

Christian values dictated that all people in danger had a right to protection, Asselborn said, adding: “He (Orban) says he only wants Christians”.

“Hungarians have the right to express their opinion and to decide with who they wish to live and not live”.

“But we all know that simply means making Hungary bear the burden of others’ mistakes”.

Asselborn has repeatedly criticised Hungary and other central European countries, including the Czech Republic, but never before he presented a similar demand. “Europe must cooperate and stay coherent”. “This rhetoric is not helpful”, added Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics.