Hungary’s Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai has reiterated that the country will not implement the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact in its present form, confirming that Budapest has not prepared a national implementation plan and does not intend to submit one.
Speaking to parliament’s European Affairs Committee on Monday, the minister stressed that Hungary continues to reject the solidarity mechanisms involving mandatory relocation quotas or financial contributions, while accepting only technical assistance and even then, only with the approval of frontline states.
The comments come just days after key parts of the Pact entered into application on June 12, following years of negotiation and political agreement in 2024.
The package aims to harmonise asylum procedures, strengthen external border controls, speed up returns, and introduce a mandatory solidarity mechanism (relocation, financial payments of €20,000 per unaccepted migrant, or operational support).
Pósfai made clear that Hungary opposes the quota-based distribution and financial buy-out options.
The government views the current text as incompatible with Hungary’s long-standing policy of rejecting mandatory migrant redistribution, a stance backed by a 2016 referendum in which Hungarians overwhelmingly rejected EU relocation quotas.
Hungary has instead focused on physical border protection, including its southern fence, and cooperation with neighbouring countries.
In talks with Austria, the minister proposed shifting from internal Schengen checks to joint border-region controls as a medium-term alternative.
This position aligns with the previous Orbán government’s consistent rejection of the Pact.
The new administration under Prime Minister Péter Magyar and the Tisza party appears to be maintaining core elements of that line on migration, despite differences on other EU policy issues.
The opposition parties in Hungary, Fidesz and the KDNP, continue to attack the government, saying that the new PM, Peter Magyar agreed to accept the migration pact in exchange for the release of EU funds, but is unwilling to admit it.
However, no such concessions have been formally adopted until now.
Even more, the new government has tightened restrictions on guest workers in Hungary
The EU Migration and Asylum Pact is now legally in force across the bloc, but implementation varies significantly by member state.
Several countries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, have expressed reservations about the solidarity obligations.
Hungary remains one of the most vocal opponents, arguing that the Pact undermines national sovereignty and fails to address root causes of irregular migration.
The European Commission has previously launched infringement procedures against Hungary over migration policy and could do so again if it determines non-compliance with the new rules.
Hungary has secured the release of around €16.4 billion in frozen European Union funds after new Prime Minister Péter Magyar agreed to a package of reforms set by Brussels — an outcome widely anticipated since he ousted Viktor Orbán in April. https://t.co/fg3eSi34Hm
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 29, 2026
