Mihály Varga, Minister of Finance, said Hungary needs additional funding from the European Union to alleviate the financial burdens linked to migration and the costs of handling refugees. The minister said Hungary has spent HUF 600 billion (EUR 1.6bn) on protecting the southern border and HUF 40 billion on managing the Ukrainian refugee situation. The EU contribution covers only 2 percent of the costs, he added.
So far Hungary has secured 300 million euros in European Union resources in connection with the refugee situation arising from the Russia-Ukraine war. In late March, the prime minister’s chief of staff said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had received the pledge of funding in lieu of the costs of looking after refugees from Ukraine. Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, said this sum of more than HUF 100 billion can be freely used to cover the costs incurred as a result of the war, and would be of great help in avoiding Hungarians paying the cost of war.
Photo credit: Facebook/Varga Mihály