Lázár noted at a weekly press briefing that for the past two years the government had proposed creating hotspots outside the bloc.

Migrants staying at the facilities would be made to follow necessary procedures, he said, adding that the government supported endeavours to return migrants to their homelands and eliminate the causes of migration. In the first eight months of the year, 773 migrants entered Hungary illegally, Lázár said.

Without Hungary’s fence along its southern borders “the numbers would be comparable to two years ago,” he added.

On the subject of EU action taken against Poland, Lázár said that the European Commission and Germany had “launched a campaign” against Poland and were applying “double standards”. Hungary supports the Polish people and their government, he said.

Related article:
Szijjártó Slams EU ‘Double Standards’

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Máthé Zoltán