Speaking on Wednesday, government spokesman Zoltán Kovács said that 364 soldiers and 112 public works programme participants, organised into 13 groups, are currently working along the 175-kilometre border fence, which will be completed until the deadline of 31 August.

Currently, the construction of a barbed-wire fence equipped with blades is under way because this is the type of fence that can be installed most swiftly, but other elements of the security barrier are also being implemented according to the original plans, he added. Mr. Kovács declined to disclose further information on the fence, referring to national security threats and human traffickers.

Material costs implied by the fence have been estimated at HUF 6.5bn, with the government deciding to allocate a further HUF 22.2bn to its construction. According to the government spokesman, around HUF 3bn will be needed for the fence itself out of the HUF 22.2bn framework, meaning that the cost of the fence will total around HUF 9.5-10bn (USD 35.7m).

The Hungarian cabinet decided on the construction of the 175-kilometre fence along the country’s border with Serbia on 17 Junem arguing that Hungary is affected most seriously by the migratory wave across Europe among EU member states and there is no common answer to the challenge.

Source: hungarytoday.hu

Republished with permission

MTI photo: Ujvári Sándor