The European Court of Justice fines Hungary a remarkable 200 million euros over its unsupportive refugee policy.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has fined Hungary a record-breaking 200 million euros for violating EU asylum law. In addition to this hefty sum, Hungary must also pay an extra million euros in fines every day until they comply with the law, the ECJ ruled on Thursday. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was furious about the decision.
Although the ECJ had previously issued a ruling in December 2020, judges found that Hungary had deliberately violated asylum law since then, making it a "unique and particularly serious breach of EU law." The country is undermining the "principle of solidarity and fair distribution of responsibility among member states," by refusing to accept asylum seekers within its borders.
Orban wrote on online platform X that it was "scandalous" and "unacceptable" that his nation was being penalized for "protecting the EU's frontiers." He further asserted that "illegal migrants seem more important to the bureaucrats in Brussels than their own European citizens."
An EU Commission spokesperson revealed that the ECJ would be sending a request for payment of the 200 million euros to Hungary. The daily fine of one million euros will be payable from now on and depends on the Hungarian government's response. If Hungary chooses not to pay, the EU Commission can withhold corresponding funding for the country.
In defiance of international and EU law, Orban continues to refuse to accept asylum seekers in Hungary. Instead, asylum applicants are required to submit their applications at Hungarian embassies overseas. Hungary has been reprimanded for this practice before, and ECJ rulings have found it to be in violation of the law.
The ECJ has reprimanded Hungary for not providing asylum seekers with temporary protection while their asylum applications are being processed. This not only affects the refugees but also forces the actual and financial responsibility for the asylum seekers onto other EU states.
In response to a complaint filed by the EU Commission, the ECJ ruled in December 2020 that Hungary was sending asylum seekers back to Serbia without sufficient legal protection or detaining them in so-called transit zones. Often, people were denied the opportunity to file an application for international protection. Since Hungary did not stop this practice, the EU Commission requested a fine against the country. The highest EU judges have now made their decision with great force.
Hungary also rejects the European Asylum Pact, which was passed in mid-May, despite the fact that it contains harsher procedures. This pact introduces procedures at EU borders for the first time. Migrants with a low chance of acceptance should be prevented from continuing their journey and deported directly from detention centers.
Hungary has been facing criticism over violations of the rule of law for years. In connection with various proceedings, approximately 19 billion euros in funds designated for the country have been frozen. This includes issues related to asylum law, LGBTQ rights, public procurement, and potential conflicts of interest.
Read also:
- Despite the record fine of 200 million euros imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for its unsupportive refugee policy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to criticize the EU, claiming that "illegal migrants seem more important to the bureaucrats in Brussels than their own European citizens."
- In a bid to enforce the ECJ's ruling, an EU Commission spokesperson has revealed that they will be sending a request for payment of the 200 million euros fine to Hungary, with an additional one million euros fine payable each day until compliance is achieved.
- Irrespective of the controversial refugee policy and the ongoing dispute with the EU over asylum seekers, Hungary has also rejected the European Asylum Pact, which introduces stricter procedures at EU borders.
