All member states must comply with the rules on migration solidarity, Magnus Brunner, the European Commission's commissioner for migration, told Hungarian daily Népszava after Viktor Orbán repeatedly stated that Hungary will not implement the "migration pact," it will neither pay, nor accept asylum seekers.
The background to the case is that the Council of the European Union decided that, under legislation passed last year, solidarity with countries under migration pressure would be mandatory from June 2026: member states will be given a choice between financial contribution, technical support, or taking in asylum seekers.
According to Monday's decision by the Council, four member states will receive assistance in 2026, based on an estimate of 21,000 asylum seekers or a cost of €420 million. The Hungarian government has already indicated that it will not implement the "migration pact." The European Commission may initiate infringement proceedings for breaching EU law. After an exchange of letters, this could lead to a case before the European Court of Justice, followed by a fine. If the Hungarian government does not pay this, the amount will likely be deducted from EU subsidies, along with interest, but it could take years to reach that stage.
Following the meeting of the Council, Magnus Brunner told Népszava that he regrets that Hungary does not want to comply with the laws. At the same time, he said he was pleased that the Hungarian government supported half of the adopted migration regulations.
Under the agreement, some Member States, due to facing a significant migratory situation, will have their solidarity contribution reduced. These include Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland—but not Hungary. This may have been what Viktor Orbán was referring to when he wrote in his post: "The fact that, according to the European Commission, Hungary is not affected by the migration crisis is in itself shocking and completely detached from reality. Hungary is the most stable bastion of defence in Europe, where tens of thousands have attempted to enter illegally this year. We have prevented this with a border fence and thousands of border guards, for which Brussels is fining us one million euros a day."
The Prime Minister also stated, "As long as Hungary has a national government, we will not implement this scandalous decision."
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