Overview
- In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Viktor Orbán asked for financial recognition of Hungary’s role guarding a section of the Schengen frontier.
- He said Hungary has blocked more than one million people he described as illegal migrants from entering EU territory since 2015.
- Orbán argued that Budapest should receive the same recognition and support granted to other frontline states.
- The European Court of Justice in 2024 ordered Hungary to pay €200 million plus €1 million per day for pushbacks deemed to violate EU law, a penalty Hungary has not paid.
- Hungary’s tightened asylum rules have driven applications to a record low, with only 29 people able to file claims in 2024, as critics condemn the fence and other border measures.