Hungary is preparing to initiate legal action against the European Union, seeking compensation for border protection expenses. According to Gergely Gulyás, Hungarian Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary has spent approximately 2 billion euros on protecting the Schengen Area borders without any reimbursement from the EU. Gulyás has stated that Hungary will consider legal action if the EU does not cover these costs, especially given that the European Commission (EC) has reimbursed other Schengen border states. This announcement comes amid other contentious interactions between Hungary and the EU, including a recent fine imposed on Hungary by the EC for asylum law violations.
The situation has been intensified by Germany’s recent decision to impose unilateral border controls to curb irregular migration, a move that appears to encourage Hungary’s stance on stricter border measures. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also suggested an extreme measure, threatening to provide free bus tickets to Brussels for migrants heading to the EU, an action criticized by EC spokeswoman Anitta Hipper as being in breach of EU law and principles of cooperation.
The context of these developments is the ongoing migration crisis which has challenged the EU since 2015, originally triggered by conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, and further exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict. Data from the European Commission indicate that there were 385,445 irregular border crossings in 2023, an 18 percent increase from 2022.
As discussions progress, Hungary has instructed its Minister for European Affairs, János Boka, to negotiate with the EC regarding the 200 million euros fine imposed, following the country’s recent missed deadline for payment. The EC has threatened to deduct this payment from Hungary’s allocated EU budget share if the fines remain unpaid.
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