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Hungary extends crisis situation due to mass migration

Xinhua, March 3, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Hungarian government extended the countrywide crisis situation by six months due to mass migration, a senior official said Thursday.

"The government decided to keep the crisis situation until the Sept. 7, which is necessary because some 800,000 people are caught in the Balkan area, and they cannot go back to Turkey," Janos Lazar, Minister of Prime Minister's Office, explained at a press conference.

"That is why the border defense had been strengthened and the regulatory custody for illegal aliens reinstated," the minister told, adding that the Hungarian government provided 38 billion forints (about 130 million U.S. dollars) for that purpose.

The cost of the second fence on the Serbian border will be 28.4 billion forints (about 97 million U.S. dollars), and is expected to be ready by May 1, Lazar added.

He informed that the second fence is going to be enhanced by cameras, infrared cameras and other technical devices, in order to make the defense of the border more efficient.

With that amount, the total cost of the defense of the southern borders reaches 284 billion forints (970 million U.S. dollars), Lazar said.

Also the infrastructures for the custody for illegal aliens are going to be installed in the southern border towns of Roszke and Tompa, both having a capacity for 400 people.

According to a regulation adopted by the European Commission on Feb. 16, the border controls will have to be carried out on all of borders of the EU, regarding each entering and exiting person, including EU citizens, the minister explained, adding that the authorities will have 20 days to implement the new directive.

He also estimated that the waiting time at these borders could probably reach 8 to 10 hours.

Finally, he announced that Ukrainians citizens holding biometric passports would be able to enter the EU without visa.

The Hungarian government introduced a countrywide state of crisis situation caused by mass migration almost a year ago, effective as of March 9 2016. Endit