The southwest Hungarian town of Barcs on the Croatian border is fully prepared to receive migrants, Minister of State for Churches, National Minorities and Civil Affairs Miklós Soltész said at a press conference there on Tuesday.

He said that at the time of the press conference all was quiet, but according to leaders of aid organizations young migrants and those with families displayed different behaviours. He said that “the attitude and demeanour of some of the young was unacceptable both with a view to Hungarian laws and European standards.”

He also praised aid organizations for their relentless efforts. “Charity organizations are doing a fantastic work, despite having been on the border for months” – Mr. Soltész said. He said the number of volunteers is in the thousands and it is especially advantageous that they come from all over the country.

He also expressed his regrets that Croatian authorities neither accepted Hungary’s offer to share the experiences of its charity organizations, nor that regarding the Hungarian system set up to receive migrants.

“To the contrary, they said fast and loud that they can cope with the pressure, while in reality the opposite happened: the migrant policy of the Croatian political leadership collapsed within a single day” – he said.

He pointed out that the failure was entirely at the hands of politicians. “We should not confound nor equate this with the very positive work and cooperative attitude of the (Croatian) charity organizations, nor with the average Croatian citizens who suffer from the short-sighted and stupid policy.”

László Szászfalvi, Christian-Democrat MP for the region said that “the current situation shows that when needed, we can cooperate and stand united.” This crisis may have brought problems, but it is also a great cohesive force for the constituency, he said, adding that only joint efforts could result in effective measures.

He emphasised that the goal is to complete the border barrier on the Hungarian-Croatian border section as soon as possible; the construction which is already being conducted by the military, but he stressed that the barrier was just one measure, while the solution to the crisis requires both unanimous European Union decisions and international cooperation.

Mayor of Barcs Ottó Karvalics said that local people, municipality employees and charity organizations responded instantly and displayed excellent cooperation. He said they managed to set up everything in order to receive the migrants in a very short time and without disrupting life in the town.

The Hungarian Red Cross, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid have been continuously building supply stocks at the temporary shelter, ready to offer water, food and – if needed – medication, blankets and diapers the migrants expected to arrive there.

(Ministry of Human Capacities)