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Foreign Minister intervenes in Hungary-Austria border traffic issue on Burgenland side

The foreign minister said the Burgenland governor was a “constructive and fair person”, and he had not been disappointed in the progress of their talks.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary-Austria border traffic on the Burgenland side has become constricted at several crossing points, noting that he has talked to Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil by phone with a view to lifting the constrictions so that locals can continue to enjoy normal living conditions.

In a social media post, the minister said the governor was a “constructive and fair person”, and he had not been disappointed in the progress of their talks. Professional discussions will get underway and a proposal will be prepared on how to ensure free-flowing traffic at the border. The mayor of Sopron, Farkas Cipirian (Fidesz-KDNP), turned to Minister Szijjártó after the mayor of Schattendorf in Austria indicated that traffic at the road crossing between Agfalva and Schattendorf would serve as a footpath but for exceptional cases. Also, the Austrian side wants to limit traffic at the Sopronkohida-Sankt Margarethen crossing. The two crossings ensure that Hungarians working in Austria can reach their workplaces. Cipirian said the measures violated basic freedoms of the European Union, namely the right to free movement and employment.