Orban, on a state visit to neighboring Romania, named the August 31 date for the completion of construction works, as cited by the Magyar Nemzet publication. He argued that Europe's future is at stake if Brussels does not act to stop the influx of undocumented migrants.
Previously, Hungarian Defense Minister Csaba Hende suggested the fence would be constructed by November 30, which Orban alluded to as incorrect on Saturday.
Work on installing the 13-foot wall along Hungary’s 110-mile southern border with Serbia began early last week, days after legislation for the project passed in the Hungarian parliament.
According to UNCHR statistics, Hungary received a record 61,000 asylum applications in 2015. Some 80 percent of asylum applicants were fleeing violence in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Eurostat data, 22,800 applicants were from Kosovo.
An additional estimated 60,000 migrants currently in Southern Europe face distribution across the European Union as part of the 28-bloc’s migrant quota system.
