“Solidarity must also prevail with relation to the protection of European borders”, György Bakondi told reporters on Saturday prior to the 16th annual Civil Picnic being held in the Somogy County town of Kötcse.

The Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister added: As yet we do not know whether the European Union will pay part of the costs of the Hungarian border security fence as requested; “they will examine the issue, they have said”.

Solidarity must also prevail in this respect; if the EU is providing funding border protection via security fences in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, “then we believe that it is a reasonable request on the part of the Hungarian Government” to ask for funding for our border security fence, he added.

“This is a political request on our part, we did not expect them to transfer money within a single day”, he noted.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has written an official letter to President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker asking that the Brussels body contribute 50 percent towards the costs and expenses of Hungarian border protection, in view of the fact that “through constructing the fence and training and putting on duty three thousand border hunters, Hungary is not only protecting itself, but is also protecting Europe against the flow of illegal immigrants”.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)