World

Hungary PM Orban: Europe borders threatened by migrants

September 21, 2015 6:14 pm

Hungary’s PM has said Europe’s borders are threatened by migration, at the start of a week of intense diplomatic activity on the crisis.

Viktor Orban said migrants were breaking the doors and that a united stance was required.

Ministers from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia met to discuss an EU proposal for quotas, which they oppose.

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Some EU countries want migrants shared out more evenly across the EU.

Germany and France are among those who back plans to share the burden of relocating 120,000 migrants from Greece, Italy and Hungary.

“They are over-running us,” said Mr Orban, shortly before Hungary’s parliament agreed to hand more powers to the army.

“They’re not just banging on the door, they’re breaking the doors down on top of us. Our borders are under threat. Hungary is under threat and so is the whole of Europe.”

The new law allows Hungary’s army to use rubber bullets, tear gas and net guns to control migrants at its border.

Agence France-Presse reported that police would also now be allowed to enter private homes to search for people they believed had entered the country illegally.

Mr Orban, whose stance on immigration has drawn heavy criticism from European colleagues, made the comments at the start of a week of critical talks.