THE Hungarian government is preparing to sue the European Commission for the reimbursement of funds that Budapest has spent on border “protection” against migration, a senior official said today.

The threat is the latest twist in a deepening conflict between the EU and Hungary’s far-right government over the latter’s xenophobic immigration and asylum policies.

Hungary’s minister for European affairs has been instructed to negotiate with the EU Commission to resolve the issue, which has seen Budapest fined €200 million (£169m) for breaking the bloc’s rules on granting asylum.