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Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar is seeking a refund of the European Union’s €1 million daily migration fine imposed on his country.
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Brussels fined Hungary a lump sum of €200 million, plus a daily penalty, in 2024, after Viktor Orbán’s government failed to implement a 2020 European Court of Justice ruling on migration. The court had found that Hungary had breached EU law by failing to guarantee asylum seekers the right to fair treatment.
At the time, Hungary had built a border fence with Serbia to prevent migrants from entering the country. Asylum applications were required to be lodged at Hungary’s consulate in Belgrade, and the vast majority were rejected. Hungary has been hit with almost €1 billion in EU fines as a result.
After winning a landslide victory in April’s parliamentary election, Magyar pledged to resolve the matter of the daily fines quickly – but since he took office, Hungary has incurred a further €69 million in penalties.
On Thursday, responding to a question from Euronews, Magyar said the fines stemmed from an “over-politicised decision” by the court and were “unacceptable” in the current political climate.
“It is clear that the attitude in Europe is changing completely, and now almost every member state, except one or two, wants to act – and will act – much more radically and forcefully in preventing illegal migration,” Magyar said.
The EU has recently been exploring ways to externalise migration management in order to reduce the number of asylum seekers entering the bloc. Italy has opened an asylum processing centre in Albania, while the European Commission has been working with third countries to combat irregular entry and facilitate returns, alongside plans to establish return hubs outside EU territory.
“It is unfair and unacceptable that Hungary, in an entirely new situation, has to pay a million euros a day for a measure that others are also taking – perhaps through lower-level legislation or different mechanisms,” Magyar said.
He added that his government was working closely with the European Commission to resolve the daily fines while continuing to keep migrants outside Hungary’s borders. The prime minister also called on the EU to reimburse the fines paid to date, along with a further €2 billion in post-pandemic recovery funds that was withheld over missed deadlines in 2024 and 2025.
“We will not let this money go to waste. The solution is urgent, but we will ask for this money back. I believe we will get it, since the budget requires a unanimous decision,” Magyar said.
The EU is aiming to finalise its next seven-year budget by the end of the year, a process that requires the approval of all 27 member states.
In May, Magyar agreed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to unlock €16.4 billion in recovery and cohesion funds previously frozen over rule-of-law and corruption concerns. Hungary must complete a series of reforms before it can access the money.