The migration policy of the European Union (EU) needs to change, Hungarian Minister of Foreign affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said Monday on public television channel M1.

"European policy makers have so far encouraged those mulling illegal immigrants to go ahead and pay to get onboard frail water crafts on the shores of North Africa because they could settle down in Europe," Szijjarto explained. "It must be made clear that this is not the case," the minister added.

He said next year's European parliamentary election would be important because the people would be able to strengthen the EU and its member states.

The ideas that aimed at "weakening" the member states are "dead-ends", according to Szijjarto.

"For more than three years the Hungarian government has been listening to Brussels that the wave of migration can not be stopped and that ways in which illegal immigrants are relocated have to be found," the Hungarian minister said.

However, Szijjarto said, Hungary proved that illegal migration could be stopped on land thanks to its fence at its southern border with Serbia, and Italy had also proven that it could also be stopped on the sea.

Now it is time to stop the illegal immigration wave in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Szijjarto.

During meeting with Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi last week, Szijjarto said that the Hungarian and Italian governments agreed that the EU should end its policy of inviting illegal immigrants.