Hungary-Austria "border war" heats up

An unusual conflict between some settlements on the Hungarian-Austrian border has taken another twist, with the West Hungarian town of Fertőrákos building a new road to end what it sees as an illegal "blockade" by authorities on the other side.

Since Hungary joined the Schengen zone in December, citizens on both sides of the border have been theoretically free to cross wherever and whenever they please.

But according to individuals on both sides of the border, some on the Austrian side have done their best to limit traffic across the frontier, placing "no entry" signs on roads and even constructing physical barriers, allegedly to protect the interests of local businesses threatened by lower priced competition.

Those in Fertőrákos who wanted to visit Mörbisch am See (Fertőmeggyes), only three kilometers away, were forced to drive through Sopron, adding an extra 40 kilometers to their journey. As a result, the town built a new thoroughfare only 50 meters from the official border crossing road that terminates in a dirt road on the Austrian side, and they now use this one to get into Austria.

According to Fertőrákos mayor János Palkovits, the new road is only a temporary solution. Locals have already collected hundreds of signatures urging the Austrian authorities to stop the limiting car traffic. If the Austrian policy does not change in the following weeks, they will call for help from the European Parliament.

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