Key facts
- Hungary's Prime Minister Péter Magyar is demanding a refund of EU migration fines.
- Hungary faces a €1 million daily fine for failing to comply with an EU court ruling on migration.
- The country has already incurred nearly €1 billion in fines.
- Magyar also seeks the return of €2 billion in withheld post-pandemic recovery funds.
- He argues that EU migration policies are shifting, making the fines unfair.
- Hungary must complete reforms to access previously frozen EU funds.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar is demanding that the European Union refund the daily migration fines imposed on his country, totaling €1 million per day, and return €2 billion in withheld post-pandemic recovery funds. Brussels initially fined Hungary a lump sum of €200 million in 2024, along with the daily penalty, after the government under Viktor Orbán failed to implement a 2020 European Court of Justice ruling. The court had found Hungary in breach of EU law for its handling of asylum seekers, including requiring applications at its consulate in Belgrade and building a border fence with Serbia.
Magyar has stated that the fines are "unacceptable" and stem from an "over-politicised decision," particularly as he believes other EU member states are now pursuing more stringent border policies. He argues it is unfair for Hungary to pay such penalties when the EU itself is exploring externalizing migration management, citing examples like Italy's processing center in Albania. Hungary has accumulated nearly €1 billion in fines, with an additional €69 million incurred since Magyar assumed office.
In addition to seeking a refund of the migration fines, Magyar is pressing for the release of €2 billion in post-pandemic recovery funds that were withheld due to missed deadlines in 2024 and 2025. This demand comes as the EU negotiates its next seven-year budget, a process requiring unanimous approval from all 27 member states. Earlier in May, Magyar reached an agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to unlock €16.4 billion in recovery and cohesion funds, contingent on Hungary completing a series of reforms.