The European Union’s top court has fined Hungary €200m (£169m) for defaulting in following the union’s asylum policies.
The court will also be issuing a penalty of €1m a day until it amended its policy.
According to the European Court of Justice, Budapest had breached a 2020 judgement where it had violated EU laws by compelling asylum seekers to travel to Belgrade or Kyiv to apply for a travel permit to enter Hungary.
The Hungarian government had taken stringent steps against migrants from outside the EU since over one million people entered the country in 2015.
Majority of these refugees had been those fleeing the war in Syria. The government had built border fences to stem the influx of migrants.
Meanwhile, an EU law states that everyone fleeing persecution in their home country had the express right to ask for international protection, and they cannot be removed to their home country if there is a serious risk of death or torture.
The EU court had in a press statement released on Thursday, June 13, said that Hungary wilfully avoided applying EU policy and its failure constituted “an unprecedented and extremely serious infringement of EU law”.
According to the court, Hungarian’s failure included the country illegally detaining people applying for international protection and not respecting their right to remain in Hungary until an appeal on their application was concluded.
Hungary had in response, vowed not to take any illegitimate migrants, regardless of any pact. A stance that is controversial given that it will soon take over the rotating presidency of the EU come July.
What They’re Saying
Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, had in a post on X, said the fine for “defending the borders of the European Union” was “outrageous and unacceptable” and said “it seems that illegal migrants are more important to the Brussels bureaucrats than their own European citizens”.
