Austria to withhold fence construction at eastern border
Xinhua, April 30, 2016 Adjust font size:
Austria is preparing to build a fence in the eastern state of Burgenland as part of its border control measures, but will not erect it until the need arises, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Friday.
Speaking at the border town of Nickelsdorf where he met with state governor Hans Niessl, Sobotka said the army is at present adequately covering border control needs.
However, Sobotka said, the stampede of migrants in 2015 has led to the rule of law in Austria being undermined and forced the government to prepare for future possibilities.
Should a similar situation return, the fence will be erected on both sides of the Nickelsdorf border crossing, similar to the management system in place at the southeastern town of Spielfeld.
The minister said for now the present measures are efficient enough to keep in check people smuggling operations both along the border and at the border crossing site. Endi