Austria, a strong critic of building of fences to keep out migrants, announced plans Wednesday to erect barriers along parts of its own border, but insisted the move was meant solely to bring order into the flow of people entering the country.
Slovenia, the main migrant entry point into Austria, also said it was ready to build a fence, threatening to set off a chain reaction from other countries along the land route used by those seeking a better life in prosperous EU nations.
In Austria, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner told parliament that construction of "technical barriers" would begin after about 10 days of planning but gave no exact date for the start of work on the project.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar firmed up those plans Wednesday, saying "if necessary, we are ready to put up the fence immediately," if a weekend plan by EU and Balkan leaders fails to stem the migrant surge.
