LONDON 

The Hungarian prime minister on Wednesday rejected implementing the EU's migration pact, saying his government will not spend "a single dime on them."

"I want to make it clear once and for all: as long as Hungary has a patriotic government, we will not implement the Migration Pact (Pact on Migration and Asylum)," Viktor Orban wrote on US social media company X.

He added: "Ceterum censeo: we will not accept migrants and we will not spend a single dime on them!"

The EU governments approved the Pact on Migration and Asylum in May 2024, despite opposition from Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. It aims to distribute asylum seekers more evenly across member states and reform the bloc's border and asylum procedures.

On Tuesday, the European Commission took a further step in implementing the pact by launching the first Annual Migration Management Cycle.

"The launch of the Annual Cycle is a key milestone in ensuring the effective implementation of the Pact as of June 2026," according to the EU.