Hungary has faced relentless criticism, legal action, and daily fines from Brussels for its stringent policies aimed at curbing illegal migration and protecting the EU's external borders. Meanwhile, Germany recently reinstated border controls at all its frontiers to tackle irregular migration, and the EU's response has been conspicuously silent. This stark disparity raises a critical question: Is Brussels being hypocritical, and are its motivations for penalizing Hungary entirely political?
Germany's decision to reintroduce border checks is entirely justifiable. Starting from September 16, Germany implemented controls across all its land borders for six months, affecting travelers from neighboring countries such as France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser cited the need to strengthen national security and combat irregular migration due to inadequate external border protection by the EU. This move aligns with the warnings Hungary has issued since the 2015 migration crisis: Without robust external borders, the Schengen Area's promise of free movement cannot be sustained.
Yet, while Germany enforces these measures without reproach, Hungary continues to face penalties for its efforts to protect the EU's external borders. We have invested approximately €2 billion in safeguarding the Schengen Area's frontier—a significant contribution made without substantial financial support from the European Union, which has reimbursed only about 1 percent of these costs. Instead, the EU has fined Hungary and pursued legal action, arguing that our measures violate migration regulations.
This glaring inconsistency suggests that Brussels is applying a double standard, raising suspicions that the motivations for targeting Hungary are political rather than legal or moral. If Germany's actions are acceptable and necessary for national security, why is Hungary penalized for taking similar, if not more critical, steps? The EU's selective enforcement undermines the principles of fairness and equality that are supposed to be the foundation of the Union.
Hungary's stance has always been clear and consistent. As Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned in 2015, without secure external borders, the Schengen Agreement will collapse. Our government has implemented measures such as constructing fences along our borders and deploying border guards to prevent illegal crossings. These actions are about safeguarding not just Hungary but the entire European Union from the challenges posed by uncontrolled migration.
Meanwhile, other countries are also starting to recognize the shortcomings of the EU's current migration policies. The Netherlands has just sought an exemption from the EU's new migration and asylum pact to regain control over its borders. Austria also continues to enforce border controls with neighboring countries to combat human smuggling.
The EU's selective treatment of member states undermines the solidarity essential for the Union's cohesion. When countries like Austria implement border controls, their actions are seen as necessary responses to security concerns. Yet when Hungary takes similar steps, we are accused of undermining European values and face punitive measures. This hypocrisy fosters distrust among member states and hampers collective efforts to address shared challenges like migration.
Brussels appears willing to overlook actions by favored nations while punishing others for identical measures. Such behavior erodes trust in EU institutions and suggests that the Union is more interested in political maneuvering than in upholding its own principles consistently.
It's time for Brussels to acknowledge the legitimate concerns and contributions of all member states equally. Hungary's efforts to protect the EU's external borders should be recognized and supported, not punished. If Germany's border controls are acceptable in the face of security threats, then Hungary's should be commended as the Union's first line of defense.
The solution lies in developing a fair, consistent EU-wide strategy: providing financial assistance to countries protecting external borders, respecting national sovereignty, and applying EU laws uniformly to avoid any double standard on border control and illegal migration.
Fairness demands equal treatment of all member states. Otherwise, Brussels' actions are sheer hypocrisy motivated solely by politics.