The European Commission has announced that it has sent a repeated payment request to Hungary, urging the Hungarian government to comply with the 200 million euro fine imposed by the European Court of Justice by September 17. If this deadline is not met, the Commission will deduct the outstanding amount from the funds otherwise available to Hungary.
The European Court of Justice imposed the 200 million euro fine because the Hungarian Parliament passed a new asylum and immigration law that was not aligned with Brussels’ preferences and, according to Brussels, could lead to the “illegal” treatment of migrants.
Since 2015, Hungary has spent around 800 billion forints, equivalent to two billion euros, on border protection, including the construction of a fence, and is now demanding that the European Commission reimburse this amount. Hungarian government officials have indicated that they are willing to pursue this claim through legal means if necessary. The Commission has consistently refused to fund the fence construction.
At the same time, Brussels has no issue with Germany already deporting people back to Afghanistan, and Italy setting up concentration camps for migrants in Albania. These actions are considered within the bounds of the rule of law, while Hungary’s stance is not.
Translated and edited by Evan Right
