The European Commission will deduct €200 million from future payments to Hungary from EU funds for the refusal of far-right Viktor Orbán to pay the fine imposed on him by the European Court of Justice for boycotting asylum during the refugee crisis of 2015 and 2016. The deadline for Hungary to pay the fine expired on Tuesday, September 17, but the money has not arrived. Brussels will also launch the mechanism to comply with the fine of €1 million for each day of non-compliance with the penalty.
Last June, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) imposed this sanction for Hungary’s refusal to implement the ruling that had condemned the country in 2020 for failing to comply with EU refugee protection standards. Specifically, in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, Hungary restricted refugees’ access to international protection, unlawfully detained applicants, and violated their right to remain on Hungarian territory pending the resolution of their applications.
“The Court of Justice declares that Hungary has failed to adopt the measures necessary for the implementation of the 2020 judgment concerning access to the international protection procedure, the right of applicants for such protection to remain in Hungary pending a final decision on the appeal against the refusal of their application and the expulsion of third-country nationals in an irregular situation,” the Luxembourg judges concluded.
From there, the administrative procedures corresponding to the European Commission began with an exchange of letters to request payments. But Hungary refused. “The 15-day period expired yesterday. This means that the Commission, in accordance with the applicable rules, is moving on to the compensation procedure. What we are going to do now is to deduct the 200 million euros from the next payments from the EU budget to Hungary,” explained a spokesperson for the community.
In parallel, the European Commission has launched the procedure to determine whether Hungary has legally resolved the boycott of the right to asylum. The deadline for Budapest to respond to Brussels ended on 13 September without a response. Therefore, the European Commission has requested the first payment request of 93 million euros, corresponding to the 93 days that have passed since the CJEU ruling and in which it is presumed that Hungary has not remedied the situation.
