Austria says it is planning to phase
out special measures that have allowed thousands of migrants to travel
freely from Hungary to Western Europe.
Chancellor Werner Faymann said Austria would remove the emergency measures for asylum seekers "step by step".
The easing of rules has meant thousands have been able to leave Hungary for Austria and Germany over the weekend.
Germany, where most of the migrants are heading, warned that its willingness to help "should not be overstretched".
The
German interior ministry said the decision to allow migrants in over
recent days was an exception and that the EU's rules requiring asylum
seekers to be processed in the first country they arrived in remained
valid.
Amid sharp disagreements among EU members, the UN's Refugee
Chief Antonio Guterres said the crisis was "manageable" if member
states could agree a joint plan.
Mr Faymann issued his statement after speaking by phone with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on
Sunday.
"We have always said this is an emergency situation in which we must act quickly and humanely," the Austrian chancellor said.
"We
have helped more than 12,000 people in an acute situation. Now we have
to move step-by-step away from emergency measures towards normality," he
added.
The change means that Austria will restore spot checks on those entering the country, as it had before the weekend.
On Sunday, a group of cars driven by German and Austrian activists
travelled to the Hungarian border to pick up migrants and distribute
food.
One of the Austrian activists taking part, Angelika
Neuwirth, told the BBC: "I think this is my duty. I can't close my eyes
anymore."
Hungarian police said anyone taking people across the
border was breaking the law on people smuggling - although the activists
were able to collect migrants without being stopped.
Bethany Bell, BBC News, Vienna
Thousands of people have passed through Austria this weekend. But now
the Austrian government says it is time to slowly stop the unimpeded
flow of migrants and re-introduce spot checks on people entering the
country.
The decision to open the borders was always meant as a
short-term reaction to what Chancellor Faymann called "an emergency
situation" - intended to ease the migrant crisis in Hungary.
In
the long term, Austria wants European Union countries to share the
burden of refugees. The migrant crisis has caused tensions between
Austria and Hungary.
In an interview on Austrian television, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on Austria to close its borders.
The
crisis took a dramatic turn on Friday night, when Hungary removed
restrictions on transit and helped migrants reach the Austrian border.
On
Saturday, up to 10,000 people travelled by bus, train and on foot to
Vienna, with many continuing to Munich and other German cities.
Thousands more were allowed to travel from Hungary to Austria and Germany on Sunday.
The
migrants had travelled north through the Balkans - Greece, Macedonia
and Serbia - before arriving at Hungary's southern border.
Sunday saw 114 migrants, Syrians bound for Greece, rescued from a fishing boat off Cyprus. What can the EU do? Key video What is the UK doing to help? BBC reporters on Twitter
Also
on Sunday, Hungarian authorities opened a new camp for migrants
reaching the southern border village of Roszke after crossing from
Serbia.
Hundreds of recent arrivals were gathered there by police.
The BBC's James Reynolds, at the scene, says many are getting restless
as they wait to be processed.
Chancellor Merkel is due to hold talks with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Monday.
Media captionMigrants
who have arrived in Hungary from neighbouring Serbia have been held by
authorities in a new processing centre, reports James Reynolds
Hungary
is meanwhile pressing ahead with plans to tighten border controls and
could send troops to its southern frontier if parliament agrees.
A border fence is due to completed by 15 September.
Germany
expects to take in 800,000 people this year. Syrians are the largest
group travelling, followed by Afghans and Eritreans.
Although
Germany has reaffirmed that the EU rules on processing asylum requests
are still in force, last month it waived the rule for people from Syria,
allowing them to register in Germany regardless of where they first
entered the EU. A note on terminology:
The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who
have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group
includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely
to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs
and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic
migrants. Are you among those trying to reach Austria and Germany? Have you been involved in these events? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
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