The European Commission has offered to help set up temporary centres for the Hungarian goverment to process asylum requests and the return of illegal immigrants as the country struggles to cope with a surge of foreigners crossing its borders, Reuters reported. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EC's senior official on migration, also expressed support for the government's plan to to build a fence along the Serbian border to fend off the tide. "Europe will always support frontline member states and Hungary is a frontline member state," Avramopoulos told a news conference with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. "Hungary is under pressure. We were talking so far about Italy and Greece. Now we added Hungary," he said. Hungary is in the European Union's Schengen visa-free travel zone and thus has become an attractive destination for tens of thousands of migrants entering Europe through the Balkans from the Middle East and Africa. Most then move on to wealthier western Europe. So far this year, more than 67,000 illegal migrants reached the country, most of them coming across the southern border with Serbia. On Tuesday morning, 567 migrants crossed into Hungary, Szijjarto said. Avramopoulos pledged nearly 8 million euros in aid and various other measures for Hungary.
