The Hungarian Government is planning to give free one-way tickets to Brussels for migrants and asylum seekers who want to enter the European Union, reports indicate.
The move, which is seemingly inspired by the actions of Republican governors in the United States, is in retaliation to a fine handed to Hungary by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the country’s role in stopping migrants from entering it illegally.
Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said at a news conference on August 22 that “if Brussels wants the migrants, then it should get them.”
“Brussels wants to force us at any cost to let migrants in,” Gulyas said, referring to a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Gulyas warned that if the EU persisted in imposing regulations preventing Hungary from detaining migrants at its borders, his country would offer every migrant “transport to Brussels free of charge.”
He also called the ECJ ruling “unacceptable, intolerable and undignified.”
In mid-June, the ECJ ordered Hungary to pay €200m plus a penalty of €1m per day if it did not comply with the court’s ruling of December 2020 to abide by “European Union law.”
Hungary has refused to follow EU legislation by not granting protection to asylum seekers or implementing measures on the return of people who stayed illegally.
According to the court, Hungary has shifted its responsibility to other EU Member States by not accommodating enough migrants.
Orbán labelled the decision “outrageous and unacceptable.”
Hungary has said it wanted to negotiate with the European Commission to resolve the situation. It also said it was contemplating initiating legal action against the EU to secure financial contributions for its extensive border protection measures against irregular migration.
Gulyás objected to the imposition of sanctions on Hungary for its use of transit zones, pointing out that this approach, which he termed a “successful Hungarian practice,” had been partially incorporated into the new refugee convention.
He further pointed out that Hungary was protecting the borders of the Schengen area, which helped Europe as a whole, while the EU was withholding funds for Hungary that it gives to other countries for border protection.
Brussels Signal reached out to the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister for comment.
Brussels is behind Ukraine’s attempt to block oil from entering Hungary and Slovakia, Budapest’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has claimed. https://t.co/TGz55MO5UP
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 5, 2024
