The need has emerged for tightening the procedures conducted on border guarding premises because migrants have explored the loopholes of the former rules, State Secretary for Government Communication Bence Tuzson said.

Mr Tuzson pointed out on the Wednesday morning programme of the public service television news channel M1: so far there has been scope for keeping immigrants in the transit zone for four weeks, and upon the expiry of this period, they had to be let into the country. The individuals concerned, however, submitted appeals even if they were not well-founded. As a result, over time they were transferred to open centres in Hungary from which they simply “disappeared” which posed a security risk, he said.

Pursuant to the new regulations, migrants would be required to await the assessment of their applications on a final and absolute basis in the transit zone, and they could be accompanied back to the transit zone not only from an area within eight kilometres of the border, but from the entire territory of the country. There would be a single acceptable exception: the cases of minors under the age of 14 years will be investigated in the territory of the European Union, the State Secretary added. He said: they are expecting the new regulations to be attacked both from Brussels and by pro-immigration organisations.

Mr Tuzson said on Wednesday on the programme 180 minutes of Kossuth Rádió that the pressure of migration is expected to increase, rather than decrease. He stressed: security is of the utmost importance, and it is a key criterion that uncontrolled individuals of uncertain status whose intentions remain unknown should not be allowed to stay in Hungary.

(MTI)