Brussels: The European Union’s top court has fined Hungary 200 million euros ($216 million) and fined Hungary a million euros a day for failing to enforce asylum laws and deporting illegal migrants.
The fines and penalties came as Budapest “deliberately” broke EU law despite a 2020 decision to comply with international procedures for asylum seekers.
“As the failure to comply with this obligation constitutes an unprecedented and extraordinarily serious breach of EU law, the Court ordered Hungary to pay a fine of 200 million euros per day and one million euros for delay,” he said. .
Hungary is ruled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party, which won last weekend’s EU elections, albeit with a historic 47.4 percent of the vote.
Orbán and the voters who support him demand that asylum seekers enter Hungary and follow their own rules weighing their protection claims, regardless of EU and international law.
According to the court, Budapest continues to restrict migrants from applying for official asylum and does not protect their right to stay in Hungary.
Finally, the court filed the European Commission’s request for a fine against Hungary, saying that it pursued a course that “seriously undermines the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility between member states.”
The 26B member states have until December to submit a national plan on how they will use the new asylum rules, which will come into force in 2026.
These rules will make borders more difficult for irregular migrants, who will face faster vetting procedures and speedy deportations for those who cannot claim asylum.
New border centers will be established to hold migrants, and asylum claims will be established and investigated.
The new rules also require EU countries to provide money or other resources to countries under pressure to find or relocate thousands of asylum seekers from “frontline” countries such as Italy and Greece.
Hungary has opposed the new rules, especially the last point, saying that the issue protects the European Union.
