Hungarian government owes Brussels EUR 240 million in fines, given 45 days to act

The European Commission has demanded the Hungarian government pay a EUR 200 million fine for non-compliance with European Union common policy, stemming from a 2020 European Court of Justice ruling on asylum and migration regulations. Following a recent court decision, if the government refuses to pay, the amount owed to Brussels could increase by millions each week.

The European Commission (EC) issued a letter and a payment notice to the Hungarian government on 16 July, according to spokesman Christian Wiegand, who spoke to Népszava. The Commission is requesting that Hungary provide information on how it will implement the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding asylum rules. Additionally, the EC is calling on the government to pay a fine of EUR 200 million within 45 days. This fine was imposed due to the Orbán government’s refusal to align its asylum regulations with EU policy.

Brussels fines Hungarian government over asylum policy

The issue dates back to 2020 when the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Hungarian asylum and migration laws were incompatible with EU laws. The court identified several issues:

• Asylum seekers’ access to the asylum procedure
• Hungary’s assurance that applicants have a right to legal redress
• Authorities illegally detaining asylum seekers in transit zones

Although the government has since closed the transit zones, it has not taken further substantive measures to comply with European Union principles. This represents a serious breach of the EU principle of solidarity, for which the European Commission filed a complaint in February 2022, requesting the court impose a lump sum and a daily fine for failure to comply with the verdict.

On 13 June this year, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled against Hungary for its failure to comply with the 2020 decision. The court imposed a EUR 200 million fine on Hungary, with an additional penalty of EUR 1 million for each day of delay in compliance. The court stated that the Hungarian government’s failure to comply is “deliberately circumventing the application of a common EU policy as a whole and constitutes an unprecedented and very serious breach of EU law.”

Hungary may be deprived of EU funds?

As Népszava points out, the Hungarian government currently owes Brussels a total of EUR 240 million, which will increase by EUR 1 million every day until Hungarian migration and asylum rules are harmonised with EU law.

The latest letter from the European Commission only calls on the Orbán government to pay the initial lump sum of EUR 200 million within the next 45 days. If it fails to do so, another formal notice will be issued, giving the Hungarian government 15 days to comply. If, after a total of 60 days, the money is not received, Brussels will begin to gradually claim the sums, plus interest, from the EU funds Hungary would otherwise be eligible to receive.

As Népszava recalls, after the June ruling, Viktor Orbán described the decision of the Curia as outrageous and unacceptable, stating that Hungary would not give in to the blackmail of Brussels bureaucrats. European Affairs Minister János Bóka commented, “We have received the court’s verdict and we will examine ways and means of complying with a significant part of the judgment, other than the obligation to pay. This work is ongoing.”

Read also:

• EP: Hungary must comply with EU rules – HERE
• Hungary does not intend to implement EU migration pact, says official – Read HERE

Source: Népszava