BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's prime minister is claiming that the European Union is seeking to take over the defense of the bloc's external borders in order to facilitate the entry of migrants.

Viktor Orban, a staunch opponent of immigration, said Monday in parliament that EU bureaucrats "don't want to stop immigration, they want to manage it."

Supporting his opinion, Orban quoted a statement purportedly by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in which she said that EU members would have to cede some of their national rights to Frontex, the EU's border and coast guard agency.

Orban also confirmed that his government would appeal on procedural grounds a vote last week in the European Parliament meant to launch possible political sanctions against Hungary because of risks to the rule of law and EU values.