Europe is finally confronting the migrant crisis

VIKTOR ORBAN, Hungary’s combative prime minister, has long revelled in the image of a maverick defending his country’s national interests from the overmighty European Union. Now, as Hungary finds itself on the frontline of Europe’s evolving migration crisis, Mr Orban has found a new way to stick it to the bureaucrats of Brussels: by enforcing their law to the letter.

This year Hungary has emerged as a major transit country for Syrians and other migrants arriving in Greece and hoping to reach Germany, Sweden and other countries. The tens of thousands currently inside Hungary must register with the authorities, says Mr Orban, as EU law directs. But the wish of most to move on to Germany and elsewhere as quickly as possible has led to chaos at railway stations in Budapest and a stand-off near a Hungarian reception centre to which many migrants were taken by train yesterday, apparently under the mistaken belief that they were on their way out of the country.