BRUSSELS – The European Union is taking a strong stance against Hungary’s anti-migrant government by initiating the process to reclaim funds totaling hundreds of millions of euros. This action comes after Hungary refused to pay a substantial fine for violating the bloc’s asylum rules.
In June, the EU’s highest court ordered Hungary to pay 200 million euros ($223 million) for systematically denying migrants the right to pursue asylum. The court also imposed an additional fine of 1 million euros for each day of non-compliance.
The European Court of Justice condemned Hungary’s actions as a severe infringement of EU law. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán denounced the ruling as unacceptable.
Given Hungary’s failure to pay or provide relevant information, the European Commission is taking steps to retrieve the funds from common EU resources that would have been allocated to Budapest.
The European Commission spokesperson, Balazs Ujvari, stated that the 200 million euro fine would be deducted from future EU budget payments to Hungary. Identifying which parts of Hungary’s funding to deduct will take some time.
Furthermore, the commission has requested an initial payment of 93 million euros ($103 million) in daily fines. Hungarian authorities have 45 days to make this payment from receipt.
Hungary’s government, known for its nationalist stance, has implemented strict measures against incoming individuals since the influx of over 1 million people in 2015, mainly from war-torn Syria.
People have the right to apply for asylum or other forms of international protection if they fear for their safety in their home countries or face the prospect of persecution based on various factors like race, religion, gender, or ethnicity.
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