In the absence of a common EU solution, Hungary’s refugee policies are “understandable” and have been beneficial to its western neighbour Austria, which consequently receives far less migrants, according to the Austrian Chancellor.

Speaking in an interview published in the Friday edition of the liberal Der Standard newspaper, Christian Kern also pointed out that the humanitarian situation that developed after the closure of the Hungarian-Serbian border was difficult to resolve and “we must also deal with the negative consequences of the situation because the problem shifts do another border section as soon as people get on the move”, the country’s Social Democratic head of government said.

In the interview, Mr. Kern revealed that at the EU summit on refugees scheduled for Saturday, member states’ leaders will discuss border protection and assistance to countries involved in the refugee crisis, such as Greece. Stressing the necessity of identifying border section in need of enhanced protection, the Chancellor promised an attempt to accelerate EU decision-making in the area.

Echoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the Austrian Chancellor highlighted the importance of aid programmes in refugees’ countries of origin but made clear that “arriving refugees are not only figures; we bear responsibility for them”.

via mandiner.hu

photo: meineabgeordneten.at