(Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban renewed a call for the European Union to reimburse the cost of the country’s border fence, which he said served to protect the bloc from illegal immigration.

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, Orban said his government has spent 590 billion forint ($1.9 billion) over the past six years on costs related to the fence. 

Orban’s repeated call comes as the bloc’s executive has withheld Hungary’s EU funding, citing graft concerns. 

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