Schengen

Orbán: Southern border fence to be strengthened with second barrier

Budapest, August 26 (MTI) – Hungary’s fence on its border with Serbia will be strengthened with the instalment of a second barrier, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday.

The new fence will be built using the latest technology, Orbán said in his regular interview to public Kossuth Radio.

He said the existing border fence needs to be supported by a “more massive” defence system, making the new barrier capable of stopping hundreds of thousands of people if needed. Technical planning is already under way for the new barrier, he said.

He noted that the government will increase police staff numbers by 3,000 at the southern border.

He said one of the problems regarding asylum procedures in Hungary is that migrants whose asylum requests are denied but who file appeals through “human rights activists funded by George Soros” have to remain in the country until their appeals are processed. At the same time these people cannot be kept in closed reception centres during their wait, he said. If they had to wait in a closed facility for their appeals to be reviewed, then there would be even a smaller group of migrants in Hungary than there are now.

Asked about the Austrian interior minister’s calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in Austria, Orbán said the country should decide instead where it wants to build a border fence. He suggested that instead of trying to secure its border with Hungary, Austria should assist the protection of the Hungarian-Serbian and Hungarian-Croatian borders. He suggested that central European countries could join forces to protect the Serbian-Macedonian and Macedonian-Greek borders, adding that with the aid of European resources, Greece’s external borders could be secured as well. Orbán said Austria today faces greater migration pressure on its border with Italy than on the one with Hungary.

The prime minister said those who say there is no link between migration and terrorism either “don’t know what they are talking about” or “are trying to deny facts for some reason”. The Hungarian government’s view is that the reason why terrorism has reared its head in Europe was because hundreds of thousands of people arrived unchecked to the continent from places where the western world is considered an enemy.

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Orbán also said European leaders should make a decision to say no to the European Union’s mandatory migrant redistribution scheme, which he called a “flawed migration policy of Brussels bureaucrats”. European leaders should prohibit this scheme from being implemented, but the problem is that not every politician is against it, he said.

The Visegrad Four (V4) grouping of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic want to scrap the redistribution scheme but the question is whether German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be willing to side with the V4 countries on this. “On this we should see eye to eye” on Friday afternoon, Orbán said, referring to the V4 meeting in Warsaw which will be attended by Merkel. He said the outcome of talks was uncertain, adding that the various positions are not yet known.

“Even I haven’t laid all my cards on the table,” he said.

Asked what the implications of a victory for the “no” side would be in the Oct. 2 referendum on migrant quotas, Orbán said such a result would mean that there is a nation in Europe making it clear that it does not accept the decision of Brussels bureaucrats. “So this will not be a bargaining position but rather a final, strong Hungarian stance,” the prime minister said. He said such a result could get other countries to support Hungary’s position, too.

In the referendum Hungarians will be asked: “Do you want to allow the European Union to mandate the resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of parliament?”

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Regarding Turkey, Orbán said Hungary’s interest lies in a stable Turkish government with a predictable foreign policy and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a stable presidency. If Turkey weakens then there would not be a single stable country in its region for Europe to negotiate with, he said.

Photo: MTI

Recruitment of border patrol units to begin on 1 September

The police will start recruiting personnel to the border patrol units on 1 September, and if the first training courses begin in November, the new members of the police force now to be hired with a view to reinforcing border patrol units may begin their service at the end of May, Károly Papp, Chief Commissioner of the Hungarian National Police said.

The Chief Commissioner reiterated at the press conference held at the central facility of the Rapid Response Unit of the Police: on 10 August the Government decided on increasing the staff of border patrol units by three thousand in the interest of reinforcing the guarding of the borders.

He told the press: the Government decided on the reinforcement of border patrol units because the pressure of illegal migration has further intensified on the Hungarian-Serbian and Bulgarian-Serbian borders, the number of those waiting on Serbian territory has increased, and based on secret intelligence reports, we cannot expect a decline in illegal migration. Additionally, it is also necessary to reduce the work load of the police force and to prevent the personnel from being exhausted to the full, he said. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain the country’s balanced state of public security. It was further a goal to ensure that the population’s subjective sense of security should not deteriorate, he added.

Károly Papp, Chief Commissioner of the Hungarian National Police
Károly Papp, Chief Commissioner of the Hungarian National Police

Mr Papp said that the Interior Minister approved the proposal on 18 August, based on which, in addition to the seven border policing deployment departments currently operating within the organisation of the Rapid Response Unit of the Police, another eight will be set up.

He remarked: instead of the present single depth controls department, the Rapid Response Unit will have two in Budapest. The personnel of the border policing deployment departments currently operating in Győr and Szombathely will be increased, and new deployment units will be set up in Nagykanizsa and Kaposvár. They will also enlarge the personnel of the already existing Pécs, Miskolc, Nyírbátor and Kiskunhalas border policing deployment units. At the same time, in addition to the existing units in Debrecen, Orosháza, Szeged and Kiskunhalas, further deployment departments will be established.

Young people will be recruited to join the border patrol units as of 1 September with the involvement of the employment departments of the county government offices and career orientation schools. They will primarily contact employees with secondary and tertiary qualifications employed in the public works scheme through the district government offices, he detailed.

They will also contact applicants who were previously refused on account of being unfit for service. They will additionally use Facebook and Twitter for recruitment purposes, and potential candidates may enquire about the available training at a free telephone number and by e-mail. A task force in charge of the implementation of the hiring procedure will be in operation in the territory of all police headquarters.

The police chief said regarding training: those hired will take an examination after a two-month basic training course, following the passage of the examination, candidates will be placed on the official payroll for a probation period of 12 months, and will be appointed as sergeants. After the completion of another four-month training course, they will acquire guarding and patrolling qualifications, and will be allocated to border patrol units after six months’ training, reckoned from the beginning of their basic training.

The Chief Commissioner stressed: those completing the training will serve as co-patrols, and may resort to the coercive measures laid down by law if the relevant conditions exist. “They will not be half-qualified police staff”, Mr Papp pointed out.

He also said: the police will be able to pay those applying for jobs in the border patrol units the salaries determined in the police service legislation.

Mr Papp told the press that, due to the planned enlargement of the personnel, it is necessary to develop and extend some of the policy facilities. The pre-development surveys have already begun in Budapest, Győr, Szombathely, Pécs, Miskolc, Nyírbátor and Kiskunhalas, new command centres will be created in Nagykanizsa, Kaposvár and Szeged, while in Orosháza and Debrecen buildings within the portfolio of the Interior Ministry will be refurbished. The police are also planning to procure new vehicles. The Chief Commissioner was, however, unable to tell at this point in time the magnitude of the developments in monetary terms, but he indicated: the Government will provide the necessary funds.

There is full agreement in the EU that the guarding of the external borders of the EU must be reinforced and must be kept at a high level, and it is necessary to ensure that the external borders can only be crossed amidst controlled circumstances, Mr Papp pointed out.

In answer to a question he said: the greatest pressure of migration is observed at the Hungarian-Serbian border, and they are therefore planning to reinforce the technical protection of the temporary border fence, to install new thermal cameras, and to also equip the fence with protection against sabotage. Mr Papp further told the press: at present, there are 81 rain shelters at the border in total, one every 1.9 kilometres, and they will build another 37.

In response to reports that the defence forces and the penal enforcement agencies have also started recruitment campaigns, Mr Papp said: “this is not a competition” because all three armed forces have different philosophies and responsibilities. Applicants must decide whether they wish to serve at the penal enforcement agencies, the police or the defence forces.

The protection of the border must be an uplifting feeling for every young Hungarian adult, he remarked.

The Chief Commissioner also said in answer to a question that the competent police chiefs forwarded reports to the prosecution service in four instances involving cases where migrants made statements indicating abuse on the part of the police.

Photo: MTI

Orbán’s advisor: Hungary ‘doing everything’ for Europe’s security

Budapest, August 21 (MTI) – By protecting its own border, Hungary is also guarding Europe’s external border and thereby “doing everything” to safeguard the people of Europe, the prime minister’s chief security advisor told public radio on Sunday.

György Bakondi told Kossuth Radio that the importance of border controls and the upcoming referendum on European Union mandatory migrant quotas cannot be measured by the number of migrants currently in the country. The chief consideration is that EU rules must be obeyed, he said.

From the start of the migrant crisis Hungary was on the receiving end of many attacks due to the measures it put in place, he said. At the same time, the situation has changed in the meantime: every European government has sensed the change of mood among their citizens and has since taken a defensive stance, he insisted.

It is not only the Visegrad Group that has had enough of uncontrolled migration in European territory, but lots of other countries think similarly, he said, adding that bolstering domestic security is a must.

Bakondi also said that Hungary has never given in to any kind of blackmail, whether it is demonstrations, violent illegal border crossings or any other threat. Neither will it ever do so, he added.

The outcome of Hungary’s stricter measures are that border crossings have dwindled from several thousand a day last spring to an average of around one hundred today, he said.

Photo: Balázs Béli

Justice minister discusses migration with Slovenian counterpart

Lendava, Slovenia (MTI) – Hungary wants a constructive discussion on the long-term management of migration, Justice Minister László Trócsányi said after talks with his Slovenian counterpart Goran Klemencic on Friday.

Both Hungary and Slovenia must observe the Schengen rules in their management of the migrant crisis, Trócsányi said in Lendava (Lendva).

“We are looking for solutions [to the crisis], but in order to find them, we need time, trust and we need to know more about each other’s experiences,” he said.

Trócsányi insisted that Hungary’s referendum on the European Union’s migrant quota scheme would not be a vote on the country’s EU membership, but strictly about questions concerning migration.

He said talks with his Slovenian colleague were productive, adding that regional cooperation and good relations with neighbouring countries are very important for Hungary.

Regarding Hungary’s EU membership, Trócsányi said it was natural that there are at times disputes with the EU, noting the management of the migrant crisis as an example. In their talks, Trócsányi briefed Klemencic on Hungary’s lawsuit challenging the EU’s quota plan.

The talks also covered the question of national minorities. Trócsányi applauded Slovenia’s laws on minority rights and said Hungary is also doing everything it can to make ethnic Slovenians feel at home there.

Klemencic said that although Slovenia and Hungary do not see eye-to-eye on every political or legal issue, the two countries try to settle their disputes in a friendly manner. He said Slovenia is committed to protecting the rights of its ethnic Hungarians.

Scarecrows keep immigrants away from Hungarian border? – PHOTOS

Pictures of sinister scarecrows reportedly planted to keep refugees away from the Hungarian border have appeared on social media. The country is to hold a referendum to decide if it will further accept the EU’s mandatory migrant quota system, rt.com reported.

The photos were released on Facebook by a group that pledges support to Hungary’s police and troops, including those patrolling the border. According to the group, the figures were carved from sugar beets. And the scarecrows which look like villains from some horror movie seem to be working – asylum seekers are reportedly avoiding such areas.

 

“Scarecrows made from sugar beet. Apparently working No [migrant] crossings in 4 weeks,” the statement above the pictures.

 

Visit their Facebook page HERE.

Protracted migration process

On Monday, György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister told public television channel M1 that a number of signs point towards a protracted migration process.

Bakondi said that even though the agreement between Turkey and the EU is still in force, the number of migrants on the islands of Greece has doubled. The reason for this is that deportations have been on hold since the coup attempt in Turkey, and according to various political statements, if the EU does not grant Turks visa-free travel, the agreement will be suspended.

Consequently, migrants are being transported from islands to land, from where they set off towards Europe’s heart, thus increasing the pressure on Hungary’s borders, Bakondi explained. He also added that because of these circumstances, the Government of Hungary has decided to increase the number of police officers on duty on Hungary’s borders by 3,000 people.

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In an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió, Bakondi said that until now, in 2016, 18,000 people have attempted to cross the Hungarian-Serbian border illegally, and there are currently 2,200 people waiting in the transit zones. Therefore Hungary’s position is that illegal migration must be stopped, not just halted, he added. He also expressed his hope that at the European Council’s next meeting, the Visegrád countries will present a joint, harmonised proposal on this topic.

Hungarian government: Number of migrants arriving in Europe could double

residency bond

On Friday, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács told Hungarian television channel M1 that, according to recent surveys and reports, the number of migrants arriving in Europe in the last quarter of the year could even be as high as the total number of those arriving in the first three quarters.

Mr. Kovács said that this tendency is also suggested by statistical data from the last four to five years: the last quarter of the year is typified by those who have already set off seeking to enter Europe at any cost. He said that there are millions in the Middle East and North Africa who are ready to set off. He added that organised crime and terrorism form the background of the instigators of migration, and that currently pressure is also increasing at the Hungarian borders.

He went on to say that this is why the Government has decided to increase police personnel by three thousand, and to organise them into border guard units.

Mr. Kovács also said that it seems that an increasing number of EU Member States are beginning to realise that the relocation quota is not a solution, but proposals from Brussels indicate that the European Commission is seeking to implement the mandatory relocation system.

This means, he stressed, that Brussels does not want to hinder migration but make it legal, and this will ultimately lead to a dead end.

Regarding the proposal by certain European politicians that EU funds should be withdrawn from those countries opposing mandatory relocation, Mr. Kovács called this blackmail, and thus unacceptable. He pointed out that such funds have nothing to do with the quota system.

On Kossuth Rádió’s “180 Minutes” programme, Mr. Kovács underlined that the Government’s continuation of the information campaign on migration is not just an opportunity, but a duty, and this is all the more so because migration is increasing.

He believes that the European Commission is covertly trying to adopt rules which go beyond basic European treaties. Immigration policy falls within national competencies; therefore in this case Brussels’ policy – which is seriously damaging the whole of Europe and its Member States – must be blocked, he said.

According to Mr. Kovács the quotas cannot be regarded as a measure of solidarity, because migrants do not want to go to Riga or Warsaw, but to various German cities.

Hungarian foreign minister rejects Swedish minister’s criticism

Budapest, August 12 (MTI) – Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has rejected remarks by Sweden’s migration minister criticising Hungary for refusing to take back asylum seekers from Sweden who first registered in Hungary.

Morgan Johansson told press agency TT that Sweden will summon Hungary’s ambassador to Stockholm next week over her country’s refusal to take back migrants from Sweden.

Szijjártó called Johansson’s criticism strange and unacceptable. He said Hungary’s stance on taking back illegal migrants remains unchanged. “We will only take back those who first entered the European Union through Hungary,” Szijjártó insisted.

The minister said Hungary will not take back any of the “hundreds of thousands” of “Middle Eastern illegal migrants” who had passed through at least another EU country before entering Hungary.

Hungary is among the few EU countries that have observed the bloc’s rules since the start of the migration crisis, Szijjártó insisted.

“We protect our border which is also the external border of the European Union, meaning that right now Hungary is also protecting Sweden,” he added.

 

Hungarian government to add 3,000 to police staff on southern border

 

Budapest, August 10 (MTI) – The government plans to increase police staff numbers by 3,000 to respond to pressures of illegal migration on Hungary’s southern borders, which is expected to become permanent, Bence Tuzson, states secretary for government communications, said.

Border patrol units will be increased mainly, Tuzson told a press conference on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The interior minister has been tasked with recruitment and training, which will begin soon, he said.

Asked to comment on a proposal by German MEPs to reduce funding for countries which do not show solidarity with the EU’s migration policy, Tuzson said that Hungary would oppose such a proposal. He added that the issues of funding and migration policy should be treated separately.

Tuzson declined to respond to another question on the costs of the government’s campaign for the referendum on Oct 2 on the EU’s migration quota scheme, saying that the exact numbers are not yet clear.

Photo: MTI

Army spends EUR 14.5m on border protection logistics

Budapest, August 10 (MTI) – A total of 4.5 billion forints (EUR 14.5m) has been spent so far from the Hungarian army‘s resources on logistics connected to border protection tasks, daily Magyar Idők said on Wednesday.

Nearly 1.7 billion forints have been spent on the deployment of staff and equipment required for building and guarding the fence along the southern border, the paper said citing figures from the defence ministry.

Nearly 1 billion forints have been spent on the equipment and clothing of troops serving at the border and another 774 million forints on their catering, the paper said.

The transport and fuel costs of military vehicles totalled 841 million forints, plus the defence ministry spent 228 million forints on health services to soldiers, it said.

Additionally, the accommodation and logistics costs of border police were also sizeable, plus further billions of forints were spent on building materials for the fence provided by the interior ministry.

Photo: MTI

Currently 42 international police officers support Hungarian efforts

In response to an inquiry by Hungrian news agency MTI the National Police Headquarters (ORFK) announced that currently, 42 guest officers support the efforts of Hungarian police officers to step up against illegal migration.

MTI contacted ORFK, because German magazine Bild wrote about the arrival of German police officers in Hungary.

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In its statement, the National Police Headquarters wrote that as part of the so called “flexible” operational activities that are organised on the Hungarian-Serbian border by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex), in the second half of August, a number of German guest officers will indeed arrive in Hungary, and will be deployed here for a month. The exact number of the contingent is yet unknown. Currently, two German officers are on duty n Hungary.

The police said that Frontex operations are on-going in Hungary; as a part of these, international police officers will arrive in the country. This year, 151 guest officers have been received and 42 are staying in Hungary at the moment.

The majority of them – 20 out of 22 Austrians – arrived at the end of July and on 1 August. Apart from them, Romanian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Polish and Italian guest officers, and Serbian observers are also assisting the police in their work.

In its response, ORFK also mentioned that in addition to Frontex operations, based on a bilateral agreement, 25 Slovak police officers are supporting border protection tasks in Bács-Kiskun County. As part of the Visegrád Cooperation, reinforcement is expected from the Czech Republic from the beginning of September and Poland has also offered its assistance, the police pointed out.

Photo: MTI

Orbán’s advisor: Migration massive, organised, aggressive and illegal

Budapest, August 7 (MTI) – The ongoing migration wave is “massive, organised, aggressive and illegal”, the prime minister’s chief domestic security advisor said on Sunday.

Europe is exposed to complex political and security threats which should be addressed with resolute measures, György Bakondi told public Kossuth Radio.

The European Union’s institutions, however, seem to be weak and fail to apply force. In addition, several decision makers are supporting rather than hindering migration, he said.

The recent acts of terrorism generated fear and uncertainty in the public and thus had harmful social, political and economic impacts, the advisor said.

Illegal migration seems to be organised by the Islamic State terrorist organisation, which declared war on Europe and seeks to undermine the European Union, Bakondi said, adding that a growing number of nation-states had realised the need to fight against terrorism.

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Since Hungary introduced a new border regime a month ago, nearly 4,900 migrants have tried to cross the border illegally. Over 3,100 attempts were thwarted and 1,800 illegal entrants were stopped within eight kilometres of the border, escorted back to it and offered an opportunity to apply for asylum at a transit zone, Bakondi said.

Photo: MTI

German police to help patrol Hungarian border

germany hungary flag

Budapest, August 4 (MTI) – Hungary will receive a contingent of German police officers to help patrol its southern border from the second half of August, the national police headquarters ORFK told MTI on Thursday, confirming earlier reports by German daily Bild.

ORFK said the German contingent will assist their Hungarian colleagues for a period of one month as part of a border protection operation organised by European border agency Frontex. The size of the contingent is not yet known. Hungary already has two German officers helping to patrol its borders.

Frontex has sent a total of 151 foreign police officers to Hungary so far this year and there are currently 42 foreign officers stationed at the country’s borders, ORFK said. Most of them are Austrian officers who arrived in late July, early August. Hungary is currently also receiving help from Romanian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Polish and Italian officers. Hungarian police are also being helped by Serbian field observers.

ORFK noted that there are a further 25 Slovak officers helping to patrol the southern border as part of a separate, bilateral agreement between Hungary and Slovakia. A contingent of Czech officers is also expected to arrive at the beginning of September under a Visegrad Four agreement, and Poland has also offered its help to Hungary, ORFK added.

Slovak police arrive in Budapest to help patrol Hungary-Serbia border

Budapest, August 1 (MTI) – Twenty-five sent from Slovakia on Hungary’s request to help patrol the border with Serbia were welcomed at a ceremony in Budapest on Monday.

Interior ministry state secretary Károly Kontrát said at the event that Hungary and Slovakia share the same view and act together in response to illegal migration.

The Slovak police will work in Hungary from Tuesday under the arrangements of a Visegrad Four border police cooperation scheme.

Kontrát added that Hungary is making great efforts to protect its southern borders, the people of Hungary and the external border of the Schengen area. In the recent period, strict laws have been introduced and significant “live force” protection has been implemented at the southern border where 8,000 police and soldiers are stationed.

Pozsony, 2016. augusztus 1. Robert Kalinák szlovák belügyminiszter (b3) és Tibor Gaspar szlovák országos rendõrfõkapitány (b2, takarva) a Magyarországra vezényelt 25 fõs rendõri egység tagjainak búcsúztatásán Pozsonyban, a rendõrképzõ szakközépiskolában 2016. augusztus 1-jén. A rendõröket a szlovák kormány a magyar-szerb határra vezényli határvédelmi feladatok ellátására. MTI Fotó: Krizsán Csaba

He said the European Union’s “wrong-headed migration policy” has not changed and instead of stopping illegal migration, it focuses on the distribution of migrants. During the past week, more than four hundred migrants tried to cross the Hungarian-Serbian border illegally, he added.

Photo: MTI

More than two hundred illegal border crossers apprehended over the weekend

211 illegal border crossers were apprehended on the territory of Hungary between Friday and Sunday, according to a statement by the National Police Headquarters.

According to the statistics published on the Police website, 103, 30 and 57 migrants were apprehended on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and were accompanied back across the Serbian-Hungarian border by police and border guards on duty at the border. 21 illegal migrants were apprehended within the 8-kilometre border zone and along other external stretches of the border.

According to the new regulations that came into force on 5 July, illegal migrants who are apprehended within an 8 kilometre zone of the Serbian or Croatian borders are accompanied back to the closest gate along the border security fence and directed to the nearest transit zone. Those who can be proven to have crossed or damaged the border security fence, or who are suspected of people trafficking, continue to be the subject of criminal proceedings, while migration proceedings are being launched with relation to people apprehended along the Romanian and Ukrainian stretches of the border.

Last week, 411 migrants were apprehended and accompanied back in the vicinity of the Serbian-Hungarian border, while during the previous week from 18-24 July this number was 414. Only a few illegal immigrants-a-day are apprehended along other stretches of the border or further inland, the police summary states.

Photo: Balázs Béli

Socialists demand stopping govt residency bond scheme

wage money Euro

Budapest, July 27 (MTI) – The opposition Socialists have called on the government to immediately terminate its scheme granting permanent residency to foreigners buying a certain amount of state bonds, Márta Demeter, a party lawmaker, said on Wednesday.

Under the scheme launched in 2013, foreign investors buying 300,000 euros worth of state securities are offered a residency permit that can be extended for five years and which allows free travel throughout the Schengen zone.

“The prime minister and ruling Fidesz have been selling Hungary’s security for cash with the scheme under which 16,000 immigrants have so far been lured to Hungary,” Demeter told a press conference.

She said that “off-shore businesses linked to government officials have so far gained over 100 billion forints (EUR 319m) on the scheme”.

Demeter demanded that the names of all bond holders be published, and referred to press reports suggesting the list includes criminals.

The interior ministry in response rejected the Socialists’ claims as unfounded and “false”, insisting that every single individual who submits an application to buy bonds is subject to scrutiny by four state authorities. These include the national immigration office, the counter terrorism agency, the constitution protection office and the police.

The applications are evaluated within 30 days, rather than a period of eight days before, the ministry said.

The migration Balkan route – Documentary

The French television TV Libertés made a report about the migration Balkan route in the beginning of 2016. The team went to the migration transit zones in Serbia and Croatia, and also reported the way Hungary tries to stop the migration wave.

Even if this route is nowadays less used by the migrants, the way it worked for some months at an industrial level – with the cooperation of States like Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia – is still quite unknown.

The documentary now has English languages subtitles. We suggest our readers to have a look to this documentary :

Austria is ready to build a 100-kilometer long fence at the Hungarian border

Austria preparing for a possible new wave of refugees, and plans to construct a 100-kilometer long fence along the Hungarian border said Burgenland police spokesman to German news agency DPA.

If the number of refugees increase, the fence could be built in no time, because everything is ready for the construction of the fence commented the police spokesman.

The fence may extend 50-50 kilometers north and south of Burgenland, which has 300-kilometer shared border with Hungary. The other section of the border is not really a suitable refugees route pointed out the police spokesman.

It is estimated that 20-30 refugees arriving in Austria via Hungary per day wrote German news agency DPA.

Vienna refugee and border protection policy have been tightened in recent months – Austria provides shelter up to 37 – 500 migrants this year.

The government struck a deal with landowners leasing a four-meter-wide section of the border where Austrian army and police units monitor the Hungarian border added the spokesman.

Austria has just built a 3.7-kilometer long fence at the Slovenian border, where the situation is calm at the moment. Vienna planned to build a fence at the Brenner border too, but this has not been realized yet.