Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on Brussels to reimburse his country for the border security money it spent during the 2015 migrant crisis.
Orbán suggested that the border security money spent by Hungary during the migrant crisis amounted to more than €1bn. He argued that the country should be reimbursed by other EU member states, because Hungary’s contributions to external border security have benefited other members in the Schengen Area.
In a video posted on his Facebook page, Orbán said that at least half of the money spent on border security should be paid back, and railed against the EU’s migration policy. According to Politico, Orbán called a proposal which would “take migrants into consideration during the distribution of parliamentary seats in the European Parliament … completely absurd”.
Will the EU reimburse Hungary?
European member states are responsible for their own defence spending, and the EU does not typically respond to requests such as Orbán’s. Further, Hungary will hold a general election on 8 April, and while Orbán remains the favourite to win a third consecutive term, the election is by no means a done deal.
In fact, this weekend, Orbán’s ruling party, Fidesz, suffered a surprise defeat in a local by-election. Fidesz candidate Zoltán Hegedűs received 41.5% of the vote against independent candidate Péter Márki-Zay’s 57.5% in Hódmezővásárhely, a key constituency.
According to the Guardian, the by-election in the small Hungarian town was viewed as an indication of the national voting mood. The result came as a shock, not least because the town is home to one of Orbán’s key allies.
While Fidesz is still expected to win the election, the size of its majority will be an important factor in assessing Hungary’s national priorities. The party won a majority of around two thirds in a general election four years ago, but a drop in Orbán’s majority could weaken his grip on the country.
