Hungary will not accept illegal immigrants or pay fines for refusing them, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has stated
Hungary has declared a “revolt” against the EU set for 2026, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announcing that Budapest will spearhead a rebellion against the bloc’s new Migration Pact.
This policy, anticipated to come into effect in July, mandates that member states contribute proportionally to their population and total GDP to ease migratory pressures on the most affected nations within the EU.
Under the agreement, each member state is required to either accept a specified number of migrants from designated hotspots or pay a €20,000 ($23,000) fine for each individual they decline to admit.
”Just as in 2025, we will not permit a single migrant into Hungary in 2026 and we will not disburse a single forint from Hungarians’ funds,” Szijjarto posted on Facebook on Sunday, criticizing the requirement as “absurd.”
The EU’s directive conflicts with Hungary’s own stringent national policies, which include border fortifications and an opposition to mandatory quotas. This stance has already resulted in penalties from Brussels, with the European Court of Justice imposing a daily fine of €1 million on Budapest since June 2024 for non-compliance.
Szijjarto contended that the pact primarily benefits countries whose security and social stability have deteriorated to such an extent that their primary goal is now the swift expulsion of migrants.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban had previously warned that Hungary would not adhere to the new EU stipulations, denouncing the policy as “outrageous.” Orban is recognized for his strong opposition to EU policies, including those concerning migration and the conflict in Ukraine.
Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have also voiced their opposition to the EU migration pact. Warsaw and Bratislava have sought an exemption, and the new government in Prague is pushing for the policy to be renegotiated.
The EU has been contending with large-scale immigration over the past two decades, following its involvement in the destabilization of Libya and Syria in 2011 and 2014, respectively, as well as its support for the escalation of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow in February 2022, which led to millions of arrivals.