What's happened
Hungary's government is escalating tensions with the EU over a €200 million fine for breaching asylum laws. The country plans to offer asylum-seekers free travel to Brussels, aiming to pressure the EU to drop the fines. This follows a European Court of Justice ruling mandating compliance with EU asylum regulations.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Lorne Cook from The Independent, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has labeled the ECJ's ruling as 'outrageous and unacceptable.' The European Commission has indicated it will deduct the €200 million fine from Hungary's upcoming EU budget payments due to non-compliance. Politico reports that Hungary's EU Minister Gergely Gulyás has demanded reimbursement for border control costs instead of paying the fine, highlighting the government's confrontational approach. Meanwhile, Belgium's migration minister, Nicole de Moor, criticized Hungary's plan to send asylum seekers to Brussels, stating it undermines EU solidarity and cooperation. This reflects a growing divide between Hungary and other EU nations regarding migration policies.
How we got here
In June 2024, the European Court of Justice fined Hungary €200 million for violating EU asylum laws. Hungary's restrictive policies, including unlawful detention of asylum seekers, prompted the ruling. The government has since delayed payment and proposed transporting asylum seekers to Brussels as a form of protest against the fines.
More on these topics
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Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, a
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The Court of Justice, informally known as the European Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law, and is considered by many 'the most powerful and influential international court that is realistically po
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
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The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
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Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest.
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Viktor Mihály Orbán is a Hungarian politician who has been Prime Minister of Hungary since 2010; he was also Prime Minister from 1998 to 2002.