BUDAPEST: Hungary's prime minister says illegal immigration is a threat to his country and all of Europe, with the biggest risk coming from hundreds of millions of people from the "depths of Africa" looking to escape poverty.

During a speech in the Romanian town of Baile Tusnad, Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the European Union of failing to defend its citizens from the "masses of illegal immigrants," who he said threatened the cultural identity of European countries and contributed to increased terrorism, unemployment and criminality.

So far this year, over 90,000 migrants and refugees have reached Hungary, which is building a fence on its border with Serbia to stem their flow. Most refugees request asylum in Hungary but quickly leave for other destinations in the EU like Germany or Sweden.