Hungary Demands Return of Billions from EU: Imposed Migration Fines are "Politicized"

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy made a decisive move against the European Union, demanding an immediate end to the daily sanctions imposed on the country due to its migration policy. According to him, these fines are the result of an "overly politicized decision" and are unacceptable in the current European landscape.

The conflict between Budapest and Brussels escalated following a 2020 ruling by the EU Court, which stated that Hungary violates European legislation by failing to ensure the right to a fair examination of asylum applications. In response, the EU imposed a one-time sanction of 200 million euros, as well as a daily fine of 1 million euros. Currently, the total amount of sanctions against Hungary is approaching 1 billion euros.

Medgyessy emphasized that the situation in the EU is changing and most member states are already taking decisive measures to limit illegal migration, including by moving the management of the process outside the Union's borders – a model already being implemented by countries such as Italy through centers in Albania. "It is unfair for Hungary to pay one million euros a day for a measure that is already being applied by other countries through different mechanisms," the Prime Minister stated.

In addition to stopping the fines, the Hungarian government demands the reimbursement of already paid sums and the release of an additional 2 billion euros from the European Recovery Plan, which were withheld due to missed deadlines. Medgyessy assured that Budapest will not allow these funds to be lost and will use the unanimity decision mechanism within the EU budget to recover them.

It is noted that Hungary's access to European cohesion and recovery funds remains tied to the implementation of reforms related to the rule of law, following a temporary agreement reached in May to unblock 16.4 billion euros.