Hungary is ready to file a case against the European Commission if it does not receive reimbursement of about two billion euros spent on the protection of the external borders of the European Union, announced Gergey Guyas, the head of the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, reports Reuters, quoted by BTA.
In 2015, Orbán closed the key transit route through Hungary used by hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking refuge from conflict and poverty, which won him domestic political support but drew criticism from other EU member states.
„We are ready to take legal action against the European Commission, as it partially or fully reimbursed the costs of other member states that protect the Schengen border,”, Guiash announced at a press conference.
Hungary claims to have spent two billion euros on protecting the Schengen border in recent years without receiving significant EU aid.
Guyas stressed that Germany's latest measures to tighten border controls, which will come into effect on September 16, show that Orbán was right in 2015 when he called for stronger enforcement of common European rules and protection of the Schengen area.
„We see how Europe is changing. Germany's decision to introduce border controls from next Monday signals the destruction of free movement within the EU, said Gouache, adding that this was due to both the lack of effective external border protection and the internal controls imposed by Berlin.