Hungary Bears the Brunt of EU Border Protection Costs, Says Finance Minister

Hungary is bearing the financial burden of the European Union’s border protection, according to Finance Minister Mihály Varga in an interview with Index.

Minister Varga highlighted that despite Hungary’s obligations under the Schengen Agreement to protect the EU’s external borders, the EU has not adequately shared this burden. He recounted his attempts to seek greater financial support from the EU, specifically mentioning a correspondence with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn. Initially, Hahn responded positively and agreed to visit the border, but later backtracked and canceled the meeting.

The politician criticized this backtracking, stating, “we had created a clear situation which the Commissioner no longer wanted to face, and at the last minute, he turned his back on solving a serious problem for Hungary.”

He emphasized the significant financial strain on Hungary, pointing out that the country’s border protection spending is double its annual expenditure on family tax and contribution relief (HUF 370B / EUR 944.5M) and almost equivalent to two months’ pension expenditure.

Adding to Hungary’s financial woes, the Court of Justice of the European Union ordered Hungary to pay a EUR 200M fine for breaching asylum legislation. Mr. Varga argued this situation is unfair and violates the principles of solidarity and fair responsibility sharing among EU member states. “Instead of the member states, Hungary is paying the price for the EU’s lack of border protection,” he said. The Minister proposed that Hungary should be compensated rather than fined, asserting, “we could say that instead of a migrant quota, we need a border protection quota, and Hungary should not be fined HUF 80B (EUR 204.2M) but compensated HUF 700B (EUR 1.7B).”

Mihály Varga also pointed out the disparity between EU spending and Hungary’s border protection costs,

noting that the European Commission and European Parliament have spent large amounts on meetings, conferences, travel, and other expenses, which collectively amount to more than half of Hungary’s border protection spending since 2015.

❗️Hungary bears the cost of border protection to avoid the need for internal EU borders, FinMin Mihály Varga stated in an interview with Index. “As the minister responsible for the budget, I approached EU Commissioner @JHahnEU, requesting greater EU contribution to the increased… pic.twitter.com/A3cQUii8Fu

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) July 15, 2024

Despite the ongoing challenges, the Finance Minister remains committed to advocating for EU reimbursement of Hungary’s border protection costs, especially as Hungary prepares for its EU presidency. “We continue to urge that our costs in terms of border protection be put on the agenda,” he stated.

Via MTI, Index; Featured Image: Facebook / Migrációkutató Intézet