Hungary has brought in tough new migrant laws which it says will “start a new era” in preventing the inflow of illegal immigrants.
Police can now detain anyone who tries to breach a razor-wire fence built on the border with Serbia.
Hungary has become a key point on the journey north for thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
On Monday, EU ministers failed to agree unanimously on mandatory quotas to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers, reports the BBC.
Instead, at the meeting in Brussels, a majority agreed “in principle” and negotiations will now take place ahead of another meeting in October.
The new Hungarian laws came into effect at midnight (22:00 GMT Monday).
From now on anyone who crosses the border illegally will face criminal charges, and 30 judges have been put on standby to try potential offenders.
The laws also make it a criminal offence – punishable by prison or deportation – to damage the newly-built four-metre (13ft) fence along Hungary’s 175km (110 mile) border with Serbia.
Mounted police have been deployed along the border.
Police also sealed a railway crossing point that had been used by tens of thousands of migrants to enter the EU.
“We will start a new era,” government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said shortly after midnight. “We will stop the inflow of illegal migrants over our green borders.”
But he added: “That also means that the official and legal ways to come to Hungary and therefore to the European Union remain open. That’s all we ask from all migrants – that they should comply with international and European law.”
At the Brussels talks, Luxembourg, which holds the EU presidency, said it was hoped that the relocation proposal could be made law at a meeting on 8 October.
