Photo credit: the Guardian
The European Court of Justice has ordered Hungary to pay a 169-pound fine for its refusal to uphold the rights of asylum seekers in an “unprecedented” breach of EU law. The country was also asked to pay 1m euros per day until it complies with EU laws guaranteeing refugees the right to claim asylum inside Hungarian borders.
The court believes that Hungary dodged applying EU policy. It described it as “an unprecedented and exceptionally serious infringement of EU law” and “a significant threat to the unity of EU law and to the principle of equality of the member states.”
Interestingly, the fine was higher than the EU executives acting for the European Commission had requested. The judges also recognized the “aggravating circumstances”, including the repeat behavior that contributed to the severity of the fine.
However, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, described the judgement as “outrageous and unacceptable.” He added that, “It seems that illegal migrants are more important to the Brussels bureaucrats than their own European citizens.”
