Budapest’s threats to send migrants to Brussels are absolutely unacceptable; such actions would undermine the security of the Schengen area, said European Commission representative Anita Hipper at a press conference in Brussels.
“The announcement by the Hungarian authorities of their intention to send illegal immigrants to Brussels is, in a word, unacceptable. Such a move would violate European law and the principle of mutual trust, and would also undermine the security of the Schengen area.” – the European official noted.
As Hipper stressed, the European Commission is currently in contact with the Hungarian authorities to “ensure that no such measures are taken,” TASS reports.
As reported, on August 22, the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s office Gergely Guyash He said Budapest is ready to send migrants directly to Brussels if the European Union prevents Hungary from combating the influx of illegal immigrants.
The European Court of Justice previously imposed a €200 million fine on Hungary, as well as daily payments of €1 million, for refusing to comply with previous court decisions relating to rules for the reception of migrants. As explained in the ruling, Budapest’s violation of EU asylum laws “regarded the restriction of access to the international protection procedure, the unlawful detention of applicants for international protection in transit zones and the failure to respect their right to remain on Hungarian territory pending a final decision on their appeal against the rejection of their application, as well as the expulsion of illegally staying third-country nationals.”
