After Hungary failed to pay a €200 million fine imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June, Brussels now wants to collect the money from future EU payments to Budapest. The background is violations of EU asylum law by the government of Viktor Orbán.
The 15-day deadline for Hungary to pay the €200 million expired on Tuesday, a Commission spokesperson said. That is why a so-called compensation procedure will be launched. “We will now deduct the €200 million in upcoming payments to Hungary from the EU budget.”
The ECJ had previously ruled that essential elements of Hungary’s asylum system were unlawful. The European Commission has accused Hungary of ignoring EU standards and fundamental values for years and has frozen billions in funding for the country. It said, among other things, that migrants did not have effective access to asylum procedures.
Budapest threatens to bus migrants to Brussels
After the ECJ ruling, Budapest threatened to bring refugees and migrants to Brussels. “If Brussels wants the migrants, it should get them,” said Hungarian Chancellor Gergely Gulyas, a close associate of Orbán. Gulyas described the situation created by the ruling as “unacceptable, unbearable and undignified.” Hungary hopes to resolve the situation through negotiations with the European Commission.
Source: Krone
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