European Court of Justice penalizes Hungary severely for failing to provide sufficient support to refugees.
Despite a previous positive decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in December 2020, Hungary is still deliberately flouting asylum laws, the court declared. This amounts to a "rare and extremely serious breach of EU law." Hungary is undermining "the principle of solidarity and equitable sharing of responsibility among member states."
In response, Orban became furious. It is "outrageous" and "unbearable" that his country is being penalized for "defending the EU's borders," he wrote on X, a online platform. "Illegal immigrants seem more important to the bureaucrats in Brussels than their own European citizens," fumed the right-wing prime minister.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the EU Commission stated that Brussels would soon submit a payment request for the 200 million euros to Budapest. The collection of the mandatory payment of one million euros per day would depend on Hungary's official response. If Hungary refuses to pay, the EU Commission can withhold funding for the country.
In contrast to international and EU law, Orban refuses to accept asylum seekers in Hungary. Instead, asylum applicants can only submit their applications at Hungarian embassies abroad. For this reason, Hungary has already been convicted multiple times by the ECJ.
In its latest ruling announced on Thursday, the Court of Justice criticized Hungary for not providing asylum seekers with temporary protection until their asylum application has been assessed. This affects both the refugees and, simultaneously, transfers the actual and financial responsibility for the asylum seekers onto other EU member states.
After a complaint from the EU Commission, the ECJ had criticized in December 2020 that Hungary was returning refugees without adequate legal safeguards to Serbia or placing them in so-called transit zones. Often, people were denied the possibility of filing an application for international protection. Since Hungary failed to change its practice, the EU Commission requested a fine against Hungary. The highest EU judges now followed this decision with remarkable zeal.
Hungary also vehemently opposes the European Asylum Pact accepted in mid-May, even though it includes the introduction of procedures at the EU's external borders for the first time. According to the Asylum Pact, migrants with low chances of acceptance should be prevented from continuing their journey and deported directly from border camps.
Hungary has faced criticism from the EU regarding the rule of law for several years. As part of various proceedings, approximately 19 billion euros designated for the country have been frozen. This includes issues related to asylum law, LGBTQ rights, public procurement, and potential conflicts of interest.
