Peter Magyar continues Orbán’s hard-line anti-migration stance while courting EU funds
Prime Minister Peter Magyar is keeping a strict anti-migration policy much like his predecessor Orbán Viktor, even as Hungary relies on migrant workers and EU money.
A recent editorial argues that Prime Minister Peter Magyar is pursuing migration policies almost identical to those of former leader Orbán Viktor. The author says the government cannot refuse the EU migration pact without incurring additional fines or jeopardising previously frozen EU funds, yet it still relies on migrant workers to mitigate a labour shortage and declining birthrate. While pledging a “zero illegal migrants” approach, Magyar denounced the pact as overly permissive and defended the fence erected on the Serbian border.
He also rebuked the European Court of Justice’s 2024 fine for breaching refugee rules, a stance he reiterated at an August Bledi forum. According to the column, Magyar adopts Orbán’s confrontational style to win conservative voters while positioning himself as the champion of dismantling the old system and delivering an economic revival funded by EU money, even if it angers Brussels.
Why it matters
Hungary's migration policy influences EU unity, funding flows and the country's labour market.
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