The European Court of Justice (ECJ) published a judgment on Thursday, June 13th, condemning Hungary for failing to comply with an earlier ruling about the country’s alleged violation of EU asylum policies, a claim Hungary denies. The court is ordering Budapest to pay a lump sum of €200 million, with an additional €1 million a day until it implements the required standards.
According to the ruling, Hungary is disregarding the Court’s earlier decision from 2020 by “deliberately evading the application of the EU common policy on international protection as a whole and the rules relating to the removal of illegally staying third-country nationals,” which the Court says is “an unprecedented and exceptionally serious breach of EU law.”
The fine of €200 million and the additional €1 million a day is much higher than the €16,400 a day that the European Commission was originally seeking when it took Hungary to court. The reason is that the judges found “aggravating circumstances,” such as repeat behavior and delaying compliance.
The ECJ’s decision to punish Hungary for defending the EU’s external borders is “outrageous and unacceptable,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán tweeted in response. “It seems that illegal migrants are more important to the Brussels bureaucrats than their own European citizens.”
The decision and timing also seem politically motivated as only three weeks are left until Hungary’s six-month EU presidency starts, making it look like the Court would want to undermine Budapest’s legitimacy just before it takes up the role.
