Hungarian PM calls €1 million daily border fee to EU unfair

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar used the Visegrád Four summit with the Irish prime minister in Bratislava to denounce Hungary’s daily €1 million payment for safeguarding Europe’s common borders, describing it as an unjust burden and a poor signal from the EU. While avoiding a direct attack on Brussels, he emphasized the unfairness of the arrangement and praised the Czech prime minister’s solidarity. Magyar highlighted a shift in the EU’s migration stance, noting that the strict-border approach once championed only by Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia and Poland now enjoys support from about 19-20 member states.

He called for a unified, firm response to illegal migration and looked forward to an agreement at the October European Council meeting. The comments underscore growing pressure within the bloc to reassess funding and policy on border security.