Migrant Crisis UPDATE: Austria's Border To Resume Blocking Migrants Fleeing Poverty And War


Europe's migrant crisis update revealed Austria's plan to resume its border patrol regulations over thousands of migrants fleeing their countries because of poverty and war.

BBC News reported Austria would be initiating the removal of emergency measures "step by step," as stated by Chancellor Werner Faymann.

"We have always said this is an emergency situation in which we must act quickly and humanely. We have helped more than 12,000 people in an acute situation. Now we have to move step-by-step away from emergency measures towards normality," said the Austrian chancellor.

Austria will once again reinforce spot checks on individuals entering the country as it had before the lifting of the country's border regulations over the weekend, which enabled thousands of people, young and old, to escape Hungary and head for Austria and Germany.

However, Germany warned that its openness to help out those in exodus from their country's plight of poverty and war "should not be overstretched."

Faymann issued the announcement after the discussion with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chancellor Angela Merkel about the migrant situation, Sunday.

The resumption of border patrol has to be done to "ensure the common security of the (European Union's) external borders, safeguard fair asylum procedures and achieve a fair distribution of asylum seekers by means of a European quota," added Faymann.

Hungary, who buckled from the pressure of an amassment of thousand of people seeking refuge at the major railway station of Budapest and on its leading highway, made an unexpected move by permitting migrants' access to regular train services and withdrawing previously imposed visa checks which eventually gave way to Austria and Germany agreeing to take the busloads of people as an unusual measure.

But, the two countries emphasized that Hungary must take care of the cases of other asylum hopefuls on its own soil. The bus convoy was a once in a lifetime opportunity for migrants to evade its own asylum setup, as per The New York Times.

Meanwhile, Reuters revealed Germany's Chancellor Merkel's decision to grant the influx of migrants mostly fleeing war-ravaged Syria has resulted to a dispute in her conservative bloc. Her Bavarian allies said that rather than consulting the federal state administration who was handling the situation on the ground, she pushed ahead with her judgment.

Hungarian Prime Minister Orban accused Berlin of encouraging the incursion. Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, he said, "As long as Austria and Germany don't say clearly that they won't take in any more migrants, several million new immigrants will come to Europe."

Furthermore, Hungary has also plans to install a new, high fence to barricade its southern frontier — the main entrance for migrants pouring into Europe's borderless Schengen zone by Sept. 15.

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