Orban channels TRUMP: Hungary demands EU pays £370M towards new border fence

Evoking the spirit of Donald Trump – who wants Mexico to pay for new barrier along its border with the US – the premier will ask the bloc to foot half the bill for the €800m structure.

The 2015 migrant crisis saw millions of refugees trudge through Serbia towards Hungary, an EU member, with an estimated 400,000 successfully crossing the border. 

Mr Orban and his government took matters into their own hands, erecting razor wire fences along the borders with Serbia and Croatia, effectively sealing off a key route to Europe. 

A second fence was completed in April. 

Janos Lazar, Mr Orban’s chief of staff, told a press conference on Thursday the prime minister would write to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker asking for half the cost of the fence.

He said Hungary “was protecting all the citizens of Europe” from the migrant crisis and it was time the EU helped Hungary as it did Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.

He added: “Double standards cannot be applied.”

While it remains to be seen how Mr Juncker will respond to Hungary’s request, relations between Budapest and Brussels are far from cordial. 

The European Commission is currently pressing ahead with a series of infringement proceedings against Hungary.

It has also launched a legal case against Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic for refusing to take in migrants. 

Meanwhile, Hungary and Slovakia will find out in the next few days whether their legal challenge against the EU’s migrant quota scheme has been successful.

The two states – backed by neighbour Poland – wanted the court to annul a 2015 EU scheme to have each member state host a number of refugees to help ease pressure on Greece and Italy, struggling with mass arrivals across the Mediterranean.

Mr Lazar declined to comment on the case before the ruling but said Hungary retained the right to decide who it allows to settle in the country. 

There are now less than 700 migrants in Hungary, and more than half of those are being held in closely guarded container camps on the Serbian border.