Orbán to foreigners: Visit Hungary! It's safe, because there are no migrants here

A Brusselian fine of €1 million/day for keeping illegal migrants out?

We’ll pay it.

For our safety, and yours. Better than living in fear.

This Christmas, experience Europe the way it should be, in Hungary.

– this was the message Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán posted alongside a promotional video about Hungary on social media. The video begins with a question: Looking for a holiday destination this winter? Visit Hungary! Beautiful images of snow-covered landscapes are shown, followed by snow-covered rooftops in Budapest, the Christmas tree in front of the parliament and happy families. The video goes on to explain that Hungarians are paying Brussels a one million euro fine each day because they refuse to allow illegal migrants into the country – in order to keep their people safe. The closing caption announces that Hungary is “Your safe space in Europe”.

The truth, however, is that the European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Hungary because of its asylum rules, including the way transit zones were operated and the unlawful treatment of migrants, which – after some correspondence – ended up in the European Court of Justice. The Hungarian government lost the case in December 2020, and although it did take some steps towards complying with the European Commission's demands, such as closing the transit zones, it did not fully align Hungarian legislation with the ruling.

Last summer, the Court of Justice of the European Union fined Hungary a total of €200 million (currently worth nearly HUF 77 billion) for failing to comply with EU asylum rules, with the penalty increasing by €1 million per day. Shortly afterwards, Orbán's chief security advisor, György Bakondi, announced that the Hungarian state had filed a lawsuit against the EU court over the matter.