In July, the European Court fined Hungary 200 million euros for violating EU asylum rules and imposed an additional penalty of a million euros per day until Hungary brings its policy in line with EU laws. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán strongly opposed the European Court’s ruling, stating that his government would not alter its migration or asylum policies. Negotiations with the European Commission are set to commence in September. If these negotiations fail, Budapest threats to send asylum seekers to Brussels. At a press conference on Thursday, Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, declared that the Hungarian government is prepared to give migrants and asylum seekers attempting to enter the European Union a free one-way ticket to Brussels.
The Hungarian government implemented a strict asylum policy after the refugee crisis 2015. Hungary erected barbed-wire fences along its southern border with Serbia and Croatia and set up transit zones on the Serbian border to handle asylum seekers. Now, Budapest requires individuals seeking international protection to travel to its embassy in Serbia or Ukraine to apply for travel permits, which violates EU rules mandating uniform asylum procedures for member states.
Schengen free entry for Russians and Belarusians
Further complicating its relationship with the EU, in early July, the Hungarian government expanded the list of countries from which labour can be easily imported, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. As a result, citizens from these countries can freely enter other Schengen countries.
The EU member states have criticised Hungary’s close ties with the regimes in Moscow and Minsk. The European Commission stated that it received a response from Budapest regarding a letter asking Hungary to explain the simplification of the visa scheme for citizens of Russia and Belarus. The Commission carefully evaluates this scheme and checks its compliance and possible impact on Hungary’s obligation under EU law.
