Hungarian government: Border fence protects EU, not Hungary

Vienna, March 6 (MTI) – Hungary’s fence on its border with Serbia protects the European Union, not Hungary, government spokesman Zoltán Kovács said at the Hungarian embassy in Vienna on Monday.

If Hungary succeeds in stopping illegal migration into the EU with the fence, then there is no need for the traffic jams on the Hungarian-Austrian border caused by tightened controls there, as the fence would also protect Austria, Kovács told MTI following a press event held at the embassy.

Hungary’s government has announced that it will install a second fence along the country’s 150km border section with Serbia by May 1. The second barrier will be equipped with surveillance cameras, thermal cameras and other security tools.

Kovács said the fence served the purpose of keeping out illegal migrants, which he said was an aim Austria, too, wanted to achieve.

Speaking about the technical specifications of the soon-to-be-installed second fence, the government spokesman said it will be charged with a low, non-fatal voltage, which will transmit a signal to authorities if an attempt is made to damage the fence.

Kovács said illegal migration could not be curbed by internal border controls, adding that Austria’s border controls were not a substitute for the protection of the EU’s Schengen borders.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI