European Commission sends payment notice to Hungarian government

The European Commission sent the Hungarian government a payment notice for €93 million with a 15-day deadline on Monday, Hvg has reported.

"The Commission has previously issued the first periodic penalty payment notice, ordering Hungary to pay €93 million by 31 October 2024, and Hungary has failed to pay the sum by the deadline," Balázs Ujvári, a spokesman for the European Commission, told EUrologus.

As previously reported on Telex in September, Hungary has not paid the €200 million fine and the €1 million a day which were imposed by the EU Court of Justice in June for the government's failure to comply with EU asylum regulations.

Commenting on the original decision in June, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that “Hungary is being punished with a one-off 200 million plus 1 million euros a day fine for not letting in illegal migrants. This ruling is outrageous and unacceptable. We will not give in to the financial blackmail of Brussels bureaucrats! We will protect the borders and we will protect the Hungarian people!”

The payment deadline for the €200 million has already expired, the deadline for the current €93 million is now 19 November. Hvg writes that as of 20 November, the European Commission will be demanding €293 million plus interest.

According to the legislation, if Hungary doesn't transfer the money, it will be deducted from the EU funds due to the country.

This could present a problem for the Commission according to Hvg, because not only is such a large amount not available in one sum, but even if several smaller sums were taken into account, withholding so much money would not be possible.