Hungary asserts that the EU should compensate them for the financial burden of protecting against refugee influxes. (As stated by Orban)
Hungary's conservative leader, Viktor Orbán, is pushing back against EU criticism over his asylum policy and the hefty fine the European Court of Justice (ECJ) slapped on his nation. Orbán's administration believes it deserves reimbursement from the EU for the financial investment put into safeguarding the Union's external and Schengen borders since 2015.
According to an official decree, that cost Hungary around two billion euros, and the EU is now being asked to repay this amount. The fine levied on Hungary this June by the ECJ, due to its asylum policy, may potentially be offset against this expenditure. The finer details of how this would work in practice remain hazy for the time being.
During the refugee crisis in 2015, Hungary erected barriers like barbed wire along its borders with neighboring countries Serbia and Croatia. This move drastically decreased the flow of undocumented refugees entering Hungary through the Balkan route.
The ECJ gave its ruling against Hungary on June 13 this year, stating that the country must pay a fine of 200 million euros and impose daily penalties of one million euros for every day the fine goes unpaid, due to Hungary's failure to comply with higher court decisions on its asylum system. The ECJ asserted that Hungary had acted in violation of EU treaties by deliberately dodging the implementation of a common Union asylum policy.
The ECJ had previously ruled against Hungary's refugee policy in 2020. This included the procedures used in transit camps, which have since been closed at Hungary's border with Serbia. The court then proceeded to reverse a Hungarian law that required asylum seekers to undergo a preliminary procedure at Hungarian embassies before they could potentially enter the country to apply for asylum. This practice continues in Hungary to this day.
The refugees faced significant challenges when trying to enter Hungary through the Balkan route in 2015, as Hungary constructed barriers to deter their entry. Despite the ECJ's fine due to Hungary's asylum policy, the refugees' struggles continue, as some procedures remain in place that could potentially affect their application process.
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