Hungary has brought in tough new migrant laws which it says will “start a new era” in preventing the inflow of illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n
Police can now detain anyone who tries to breach a razor-wire fence built on the border with Serbia.<\/p>\n
Hungary has become a key point on the journey north for thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n
On Monday, EU ministers failed to agree unanimously on mandatory quotas to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers.<\/p>\n
Instead, at the meeting in Brussels, a majority agreed “in principle” and negotiations will now take place ahead of another meeting in October.<\/p>\n
The new Hungarian laws came into effect at midnight (22:00 GMT Monday).<\/p>\n
From now on anyone who crosses the border illegally will face criminal charges, and 30 judges have been put on standby to try potential offenders.<\/p>\n
The laws also make it a criminal offence – punishable by prison or deportation – to damage the newly-built four-metre (13ft) fence along Hungary’s 175km (110 mile) border with Serbia.<\/p>\n
Mounted police have been deployed along the border.
\nPolice also sealed a railway crossing point that had been used by tens of thousands of migrants to enter the EU.<\/p>\n
“We will start a new era,” government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said shortly after midnight. “We will stop the inflow of illegal migrants over our green borders.”<\/p>\n
But he added: “That also means that the official and legal ways to come to Hungary and therefore to the European Union remain open. That’s all we ask from all migrants – that they should comply with international and European law.”<\/p>\n
‘No consensus’<\/strong> The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were reportedly among the nations opposed to mandatory quotas.<\/p>\n “There was no consensus, several countries disagreed,” Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said after the talks.<\/p>\n Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said “not everyone is on board at the moment”.<\/p>\n He warned the situation in Europe was “urgent and dramatic and time is of the essence”.<\/p>\n Ministers did, however, agree to begin the relocation of 40,000 migrants from Greece and Italy to other EU states, as proposed by the European Commission before the summer.<\/p>\n Under complex EU rules, a unanimous vote is not required and decisions can be made with a qualified majority. Mr Asselborn said a list of safe countries, to which failed asylum seekers can be returned, had been agreed on principle.<\/p>\n European states have been struggling to cope with a record influx of migrants, who are mainly trying to reach Germany and Sweden.<\/p>\n On Monday, a number of European countries followed Germany’s suit in introducing temporary border checks. Austrian police said up to 7,000 people had arrived from Hungary on Monday, and 14,000 on Sunday.<\/p>\n Chancellor Werner Faymann said troops were also being deployed, mainly to provide humanitarian help within Austria, but would be sent to the border if necessary.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hungary has brought in tough new migrant laws which it says will “start a new era” in preventing the inflow of illegal immigrants. Police can now detain anyone who tries to breach a razor-wire fence built on the border with Serbia. Hungary has become a key point on the journey north for thousands of migrants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":151647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[14],"yoast_head":"\n
\nAt the Brussels talks, Luxembourg, which holds the EU presidency, said it was hoped that the relocation proposal could be made law at a meeting on 8 October.<\/p>\n
\nHowever, correspondents say that would be a show of disunity that the EU is trying to avoid.<\/p>\n
\nThe moves are a challenge to the EU’s Schengen agreement on free movement, although the rules do allow for temporary controls in emergencies.<\/p>\n