BRUSSELS (AP) — In a significant move, the European Union’s highest court has imposed a hefty fine of 200 million euros, equivalent to $216 million in dollars, on Hungary. This penalty comes as a result of Hungary’s persistent violations of the EU’s asylum regulations, marking a serious escalation following a prior ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Furthermore, Hungary faces an additional penalty of 1 million euros for each day of continued non-compliance.
The ECJ, based in Luxembourg, emphasized in a press release that Hungary had failed to implement a 2020 ruling by the court. The court stated, “That failure, which consists in deliberately avoiding the application of a common EU policy as a whole, constitutes an unprecedented and extremely serious infringement of EU law.” This strong condemnation highlights the gravity of Hungary’s actions in the eyes of the European Union.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán swiftly condemned the ruling, labeling it as “outrageous and unacceptable.”
In a post on social media platform X, Orbán asserted, “It seems that illegal migrants are more important to the Brussels bureaucrats than their own European citizens.” This statement reflects the ongoing tension between Hungary and the EU regarding immigration and asylum policies.
Hungary, under its anti-immigrant government, has adopted a stringent stance on individuals entering the country, particularly since the 2015 influx of over a million people into Europe, many fleeing conflict in Syria.
The current case is rooted in changes Hungary made to its asylum system following the 2015 crisis, during which approximately 400,000 individuals transited through Hungary en route to Western Europe. In response, Hungary erected fences fortified with razor wire along its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia. Additionally, it established transit zones on its Serbian border to accommodate asylum seekers, although these zones have since been closed.
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These measures were central to Orban’s increasingly restrictive anti-immigration agenda and significantly reduced Hungary’s asylum system. The EU court’s ruling and the $216 million (200 million euros to dollars) fine underscore the financial implications of these policies.
Going back to the 2020 ruling, the ECJ had already determined that Budapest’s policies were in violation of EU law. Specifically, the court found that Hungary had restricted access to international protection, unlawfully detained asylum seekers, and disregarded their right to remain in Hungary while their asylum applications underwent due process.
While the transit zones were shut down in 2020 shortly after the initial ECJ ruling, the European Commission, tasked with ensuring compliance among the 27 EU member states, maintained that Hungary had not adequately addressed the issues. Consequently, the Commission requested the European Court of Justice to impose financial penalties on Hungary, leading to Thursday’s decision.
Further exacerbating the situation, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Hungarian government enacted a law requiring individuals seeking international protection to first travel to Belgrade or Kyiv. They were then required to apply for a travel permit at Hungarian embassies in these cities before being allowed to enter Hungary and formally submit their asylum applications.
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The European Commission challenged this law at the European Court of Justice, arguing that Hungary had failed to meet its obligations under EU rules. EU regulations mandate that all member nations adhere to common procedures for granting asylum, recognizing the fundamental right of individuals to seek protection if they fear persecution in their home countries due to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or other forms of discrimination. The $216 million euro (euros to dollars) fine highlights the EU’s commitment to upholding these principles.
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Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed to this report.
