Written by Jan Culik.
Having finished construction of a razor-wire fence along its border with Serbia, Hungary now plans to extend it to Romania. Tampering with the fence is punishable with prison or deportation.
These are its latest moves in a stand-off between the thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe through Hungarian territory.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has said that this is a “German problem”, not a “European problem”, while leaders in western Europe talk about a shared responsibility.
Two very different responses to the crisis are emerging on each side of Europe. The west might be failing to handle the crisis well but the east is simply rejecting any role in it. Resentment is building on both sides and is threatening European unity. Continue reading Fencing off the east: how the refugee crisis is dividing the European Union