Speaking on public television channel M1 on Wednesday evening, György Bakondi said that it is “thouroughly necessary” to extend the state of emergency because migratory pressure has reintensified in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia, with the number of migrants arriving to the Greek islands doubling each week and Balkan countries actively protecting their borders.

He said that approximately 100 individuals attempt to illegally cross Hungary’s state borders each day but “so far, nobody has managed to do so”, adding that estimates put the number of migrants on wait and near the country’s borders and “trying to exploit the weaknesses of the system” in order to travel on to Western Europe at three thousand people.

Hungary declared a nationwide state of emergency due to the “unpredictable” migration situation in March, with additional police and army forces deployed to the country’s borders. At the time, interior minister Sándor Pintér said that the country is ready to seal off its eastern border with Romania if necessary.

Previously, a state of emergency limited to two southern counties had been in place since September 2015.

Source: hungarytoday.hu

Republished with permission