Migration State of Emergency Extended until Year End

The government has decided to extend the current state of emergency over illegal mass migration, due to expire on September 7, until December 31, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in a social media post late on Friday.

The prime minister stated that the government would not ease effective regulations on illegal migration, adding: "Recent weeks have shown that even the smallest legal change could breach the protection of Europe’s external borders." He said the government would work in the coming weeks to establish a lawful and functional system to protect both Hungary’s borders and Hungarians’ money.

Migration routes can shift in days, and human smugglers constantly look for weak points, he said. A single legal loophole or a poorly prepared policy change can create an unmanageable situation in a very short time, he added. "The Hungarian government cannot take such a risk."

Péter Magyar called the situation "unfair." He pointed out that "while we are protecting Hungary's external borders and those of Europe, Europe is fining us for it."

He said the government had been negotiating with EU institutions for months over new Hungarian regulations that would effectively protect the external borders of both Hungary and the EU while complying with EU law. However, EU institutions and legal experts have so far been unable to propose a solution guaranteeing Hungarian authorities can continue to act with the necessary strictness and efficiency, he added.

Since 2016, around 20 EU member states have come to support strict border protection, he said.

He was of the view that "it is unjust and unfair to penalize a border-protecting member state in 2026 for regulations adopted much earlier under completely different circumstances."

In the video accompanying his post, Magyar explained that the legal framework for the crisis caused by mass immigration grants the state special powers. It allows police to escort foreign nationals who have entered the country illegally to the southern border and enables the armed forces to participate in border protection. The legislation also establishes special procedural rules for offences related to the border fence, he added.