Populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has formally rejected the EU Council's 2026 obligations under the Migration and Asylum Pact, declaring that Hungary will neither accept asylum seekers nor pay financial contributions to the solidarity mechanism In a post on X, Orbán declared, “The rebellion begins,” accusing Brussels of attempting to force Hungary to take in migrants or pay for others’ obligations, which he called “unacceptable.”
Orbán reiterated that Hungary will not implement the measures of the Pact, asserting that his country already invests heavily in protecting the EU’s external borders. This stance is consistent with his previous opposition to the Pact, which was approved by the EU in May 2024 despite Hungary’s vote against it.
"Brussels has launched a new, absurd, and unjust attack against Hungary with yesterday’s migration decision, the Prime Minister wrote on X. "The claim by the European Commission that Hungary is not affected by the migration crisis is outrageous in itself and completely detached from reality. Hungary is the most stable bastion of defence in Europe, and even this year tens of thousands have attempted to enter illegally. We stopped them with our border fence and thousands of border guards, which Brussels punishes with a fine of €1 million/day.
"We have closed the southern route, but with the migration pact we now face a western front. The latest Brusselian decision requires that from next July Hungary must either take migrants in from other European countries or pay for them.
"I want to make it absolutely clear once and for all that as long as Hungary has a national government, we will not implement this outrageous decision.
"Anyhow, July is far away. Elections are coming next April. The Hungarian people must make an important choice: do they want a government that will strike a deal with Brussels and accept the migration pact, or do they stand with the national government and a migrant-free Hungary?"
In contrast, Poland has been granted an exemption from the mandatory migrant relocation requirement under the Pact. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on X that Poland has been freed from its obligations under the bloc’s solidarity mechanism starting from 2026, following a decision by the European Council.
This exemption means Poland will not be required to accept asylum seekers or contribute financially to the solidarity pool, a move that aligns with Poland’s long-standing resistance to EU migration policies.
The EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, which will fully enter into force in June 2026, establishes a mandatory solidarity mechanism to redistribute asylum seekers from countries under migratory pressure—Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus—to other member states.
The European Commission proposed a solidarity pool of 30,000 relocations and €600 million in financial contributions, with quotas based on population and GDP.
However, several member states, including Germany and Sweden, have expressed a preference for paying financial contributions—estimated at €20,000 per person not relocated—rather than accepting asylum seekers Sweden is reportedly set to pay €9 million in contributions, reflecting its willingness to fulfill its obligations financially rather than through resettlement.
The Council of the European Union has decided that the initial implementation of the solidarity mechanism will cover 21,000 asylum seekers or a cost of €420 million for 2026, a figure lower than the Commission’s initial proposal.
This reduction is expected due to political pressure from member states seeking to limit their responsibilities. Despite this, the EU remains divided, with countries like Poland and Hungary actively challenging the Pact’s enforcement.
Notably, Hungary cannot receive an exemption, as confirmed by the European Commission, which insists all member states must comply with the rules on migration solidarity.
The broader context of the Pact stems from years of negotiations and deep divisions within the EU over migration policy. The Pact aims to standardize asylum procedures, improve border security, and ensure a fairer distribution of responsibility among member states.
However, countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, have consistently opposed the system, arguing it undermines national sovereignty and borders.
The current standoff reflects a growing rift between the EU’s central authority and member states that resist mandatory relocation and financial contributions, with Hungary’s defiance symbolizing a broader challenge to EU cohesion on migration.
