The Hungarian Defence Force is fully prepared to begin construction of the temporary border control fence, Minister of Interior Csaba Hende said on Thursday in Mórahalom on the Hungarian-Serbian border.
At the press conference held at the sample section of the temporary border control fence, which is currently under construction, the Minister said that building works could begin simultaneously at 10-12 locations. 900 members of the Hungarian Defence Force will be involved in the construction work, which must be completed by 30 November.
The sample section will be built by using four different construction techniques of which one or more will be selected for use along the full length of the 175 kilometre Hungarian-Serbian border, the Minister explained.
Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér said that the Hungarian authorities have apprehended 81.333 illegal border-crossers so far in 2015, some 80.000 of them have arrived in Hungary via the Serbian border, and the Government decided on the construction of the border control fence while taking into account European practices.
The Government decided on the construction of the border control fence while taking into account European practices, the Minister said, adding that the Government will decide by next Tuesday which technology is the most appropriate and financially feasible.
Construction materials are being produced by prison inmates, while the construction of the border control fence will be performed by the state. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the technical management and organisation of the works, but the Ministry of Interior may provide public workers to assist with the construction if necessary, Mr. Pintér said.
The exact construction costs are dependent on the technology used; the Government has already allocated HUF 6.5 billion (EUR 20.9m) for materials and direct labour costs, he added.
The Minister of Interior pointed out that the border control fence being constructed is a temporary one, which will be demolished if and when migratory pressure on the country eases. The aim of the measures is to make asylum seekers arrive in Hungary legally via border crossing points instead of across the green border.
The Minister highlighted that Hungary observes the Refugee Convention and receives everyone who is eligible for refugee status, but only 8 percent of those arriving in Hungary so far were in fact eligible for asylum.
Government Spokesman Zoltán Kovács said that the deadline of the national consultation on illegal migration expired on Wednesday. Questionnaires have been returned by some one million citizens and the vast majority of respondents agreed that more decisive action must be taken to combat mass illegal migration.
Building a fence is not a solution, but a necessary and unavoidable step that seeks to confine the flow of illegal migrants within legal and monitored limits, he pointed out.