Ukraine's EU Accession Also Threatens Hungarian Jobs

Among many other risks, Ukraine’s membership in the European Union would also endanger workplaces in Hungary with Ukrainian workers flooding the labor market, warned Mate Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group.

Mate Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group (Photo: MTI/Tibor Illyes)

"Ukraine’s accession to the EU would flood the European labor markets, including Hungary's with Ukrainian workers," Mate Kocsis wrote on his Facebook page. The Fidesz parliamentary group leader called on all Hungarians to express their opinion in the Voks 2025 public consultation vote.

Photo: MTI/EPA/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service

Voks 2025, the public opinion vote launched by Hungary's government for Hungarian people to have a say in Ukraine’s EU accession, is well under way. Meanwhile, Brussels is exerting increasing pressure on the Orban government to accelerate Ukraine’s EU admission.

Government Position on Ukraine's EU Bid Is Clear

The Hungarian government’s position on this matter is clear and unwavering: Ukraine’s EU accession would cause enormous harm to Hungary’s economy. Brussels is pushing for Ukraine's accelerated integration, without consulting Europeans' opinions and without assessing or reporting the consequences of admitting a country currently at war.

The European Left wants to push this decision through over the heads of the people, including Hungarians.

Yet such a decision could shape the daily lives of Europeans for a long time, bringing multiple dangers. Should Ukraine join, Hungarian farmers would face severe hardships, as large quantities of Ukrainian agricultural products, of uncontrolled quality, would flood European markets.

Besides agriculture, the most ruthless armed criminal groups would also be unleashed upon Europe. Organized crime was already flourishing in Ukraine before the war and has only strengthened in recent years. After Ukraine’s accession, these groups could move freely throughout the EU, including Hungary. Additionally, beyond the criminal threat, serious diseases and epidemics, which are resurfacing due to the war, could also easily enter Hungary and the EU, posing a further serious risk to residents.

Moreover, Ukraine’s accession would financially burden every Hungarian family.

It is estimated that Ukraine’s accession could cost up to €2.5 trillion, which would have grave economic consequences for both the European Union and Hungary. So far, the years of war have cost Hungary approximately 9,100 billion forints, which translates to more than two million forints per household. With Ukraine’s accelerated accession, these costs would rise even further, reducing Hungarian families' financial resources.

Furthermore, without controls, a massive influx of workers could flood into Hungary if Ukraine were admitted to the EU.

This phenomenon would strain Hungary’s service systems and cause significant problems, especially in sectors employing large numbers of less-skilled workers. Moreover, Brussels likely would not grant any moratorium — unlike in the past, when several countries were allowed to and did impose multiple-years'-long restrictions on Hungarian workers.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban also warned about the danger of admitting a country into the European Union that is not sovereign, whose eastern borders are undefined, whose territory and population size are uncertain, and which is unable to sustain itself.

Cover photo: Mate Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group (Photo: MTI/Tibor Illyes)