Hungary would rather pay the European Commission a fine of 1 million euros a day than to abandon its zero-tolerance policy towards illegal migrants and allow them into its territory.
This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who invited foreign tourists to visit the country during the Christmas holidays, free from the influx of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
„A fine of 1 million euros a day from Brussels for not allowing illegal migrants? We will pay it. For our safety and yours. It is better than living in fear. This Christmas, experience Europe as it should be in Hungary,” Orbán wrote in his letter.
In 2024, the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg, at the initiative of the European Commission, imposed a fine of 200 million euros on Hungary for refusing to comply with the pan-European migration pact. An additional 1 million euros is charged for each day of delay in implementing this decision. In one year, the total fine with interest exceeded 500 million euros. This fine can be deducted from the funds due to Hungary from the general budget and specialized EU funds.
The Hungarian government challenged this decision in court. However, the authorities stated that they did not intend to pay either the principal of the fine or the interest on it and did not intend to comply with EU migration rules. György Bakondi, the prime minister's adviser on security and combating illegal migration, said Hungary would maintain its border control system and seek judicial review of the European Court's discriminatory ruling through a lawsuit. Legal experts say the review of the EU Court of Justice's ruling in Luxembourg is an extremely complex but not hopeless matter.