EU Plans to Cut Funding for Hungary
Brussels is set to withhold funds from Budapest due to its refusal to accept refugees. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Budapest has failed to meet the deadline for paying a penalty due to its refusal to process refugees.
The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it will withhold part of future payments to Hungary because of its non-compliance with a fine for violating the EU’s asylum rules, as stated by spokesman Balazs Ujvari.
Earlier this year, the European Court of Justice mandated that Budapest pay €200 million, along with an additional €1 million per day in fines, for denying migrants their right to apply for asylum in breach of EU migration legislation.
Despite holding the rotating presidency of the EU until the end of the year, Hungary has declared its intention not to pay the imposed penalty and has recently committed to sending arriving migrants to Brussels via bus.
The European Commission spokesperson noted that the bloc will require time to identify future payments that can accommodate the fine.
The tension between the EU and Hungary originated in December 2020, when the bloc’s highest court determined that Budapest had restricted access to asylum processes for those seeking refuge, rendering the application procedure “virtually impossible.” The court also concluded that Hungarian authorities were unlawfully detaining asylum seekers in “transit zones” under conditions that were tantamount to detention and infringing upon their right to appeal.
In 2023, EU lawmakers reached an agreement on a significant migration pact, which mandates that illegal immigrants, primarily arriving in Italy and Greece after crossing the Mediterranean, be redistributed to other EU nations on a quota basis. Under this legislation, member states not situated along the bloc’s external border may either accept refugees or contribute financially to the EU fund.
This legislation aimed to assist member states in sharing the responsibility of hosting migrants since countries in the eastern part of the bloc were reluctant to accept those arriving in Greece, Italy, and other destinations. Hungary and Poland opposed the measure, while Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic chose to abstain.
At that time, Hungarian President Viktor Orban claimed that Brussels had legally “raped” Hungary and Poland by enforcing a deal that would require member states to accept quotas of illegal immigrants, asserting that he would not yield to the EU on such matters.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it will withhold part of future payments to Hungary because of its non-compliance with a fine for violating the EU’s asylum rules, as stated by spokesman Balazs Ujvari.
Earlier this year, the European Court of Justice mandated that Budapest pay €200 million, along with an additional €1 million per day in fines, for denying migrants their right to apply for asylum in breach of EU migration legislation.
Despite holding the rotating presidency of the EU until the end of the year, Hungary has declared its intention not to pay the imposed penalty and has recently committed to sending arriving migrants to Brussels via bus.
The European Commission spokesperson noted that the bloc will require time to identify future payments that can accommodate the fine.
The tension between the EU and Hungary originated in December 2020, when the bloc’s highest court determined that Budapest had restricted access to asylum processes for those seeking refuge, rendering the application procedure “virtually impossible.” The court also concluded that Hungarian authorities were unlawfully detaining asylum seekers in “transit zones” under conditions that were tantamount to detention and infringing upon their right to appeal.
In 2023, EU lawmakers reached an agreement on a significant migration pact, which mandates that illegal immigrants, primarily arriving in Italy and Greece after crossing the Mediterranean, be redistributed to other EU nations on a quota basis. Under this legislation, member states not situated along the bloc’s external border may either accept refugees or contribute financially to the EU fund.
This legislation aimed to assist member states in sharing the responsibility of hosting migrants since countries in the eastern part of the bloc were reluctant to accept those arriving in Greece, Italy, and other destinations. Hungary and Poland opposed the measure, while Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic chose to abstain.
At that time, Hungarian President Viktor Orban claimed that Brussels had legally “raped” Hungary and Poland by enforcing a deal that would require member states to accept quotas of illegal immigrants, asserting that he would not yield to the EU on such matters.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
