The European Commission has again called on Hungary to pay the penalty imposed for the Hungarian government’s failure to comply with migration and asylum rules. The amount of the fine increases by one million euros per day.
In addition to the €200 million fine imposed in June last year, the fine has been increasing by €1 million a day until the Hungarian government changes the migration law, i.e. brings it into line with EU expectations. The figures requested by Népszava show that the committee sends a payment notice to the Hungarian government every two months. After the last demand in January, the next demand was received in Budapest on 17 March.
By mid-March, Hungary had collected €477 million (HUF 191 billion) in fines, of which €357 million (HUF 143 billion) had already been deducted. So far, the amounts have been deducted from six payments, and interest is also calculated on the missed payments. From this, a total of slightly more than two and a half million euros (one billion forints) in interest expenses were collected.
In 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Hungarian laws do not comply with European regulations in the field of migration and asylum, because asylum seekers do not receive legal remedies or appropriate procedures, and they are not adequately accommodated in transit zones. This resulted in a basic fine of 200 million euros, which is still increasing to this day.
Translated and edited by L. Earth