Photo credit: Politico
The Hungarian government wants to opt out of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.
Brussels Signal reports that the Hungarian government’s decision was conveyed in a letter sent to European Commissioner Yvia Johansson on October 7.
In the letter, Janos Boka, Hungary’s minister for European Union Affairs, wrote: “Hungary requests an opt-out from the European Union’s asylum and migration acquis should a Treaty amendment take place in the future and will initiate the appropriate procedures to this effect.”
The government believes opting out of the pact will help it better manage the flow of migrants into its territory. Hungary has said it remains committed to the Schengen zone, where countries have abolished border controls, but it argues that the zone has been “fragmented.”
Boka said the Schengen Area “has become fragmented due to prolonged and widespread internal border controls introduced as a result of illegal migration and security threats.”
Hungary’s request to regain more control over migration will likely be rejected.
The European Commission has reiterated that the rules on asylum and migration remain binding for all member states. EU lawmakers passed the EU migration pact earlier this year to better manage the pressure caused by illegal migration into the union.
Under the pact, if an EU nation is overwhelmed by an influx of migrants, the other member states are obliged to either relocate new arrivals to their territories or compensate 20,000 euros for each migrant they turn away.
