MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An annulment of the Schengen Zone would be a significant blow to the economy of the European Union and European values, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday.
Amid a major migrant crisis in Europe, several EU states have erected border fences. On Tuesday, European Council Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks said that erecting fences "kills" the 1985 Schengen Agreement, the convention that stipulates visa-free travel within continental Europe.
"If the Schengen Zone stops existing, that would be a huge strike on the European economy, let alone European values that are currently undergoing the test," Szijjarto said in an interview on Russia’s Rossiya-24 television channel.
Hungary, used by thousands of migrants as a gateway to wealthier EU member states, built a fence on its border with Serbia in August. Fences have also been built by Spain, Greece, and Bulgaria.
Hungary is among those EU states which has taken a harsh stance on refugees. Amid recent attempts to limit migration, Hungary last week closed its borders with Croatia, citing the need to protect EU frontiers.
