Hungary fighting to uphold EU border rules in face of criticism

Nothing is stopping these refugees. Hundreds have been crossing the Serbia-Hungary border every day, following these tracks. If trains are going to use them, how can the authorities lay barbed wire here?

The Hungary-Serbia border is one of the European Union’s external borders, which Budapest is responsible for keeping secure. On this basis, in July the Hungarian parliament approved building a 3.5-metre-high fence along it for 150 km.

Since the start of this year, the authorities have intercepted more than 167,000 refugees who were trying to cross illegally. They are brought to this registration centre in Roszke, where they wait for a few days.

Many of the refugees say they have not seen a single police officer on the road through the Balkans, including in Greece, which is another member of the EU’s Schengen area of passport-free movement.

This Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke out to justify his firm actions in the unfolding crisis.

“We signed the Schengen