The European Commission will deduct a €200 million fine from Hungary's EU funds after the country refused to pay penalties imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The fine was levied due to Hungary's violations of EU asylum laws, which included restricting asylum access and detaining applicants. Hungary faces additional daily fines and has seen €21 billion in EU funds frozen as a consequence of its rule-of-law decline.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called the penalty 'outrageous and unacceptable,' while Hungary has threatened to bus migrants to Belgium, encountering opposition from Belgian and EU authorities. The penalty stems from Hungary's response to the 2015 migrant crisis, where restrictive measures were enacted, including the construction of border fences and limiting asylum applications to Hungarian embassies abroad.
The European Commission's decision to deduct the fine directly from Hungary's EU funds underscores the ongoing tensions between Brussels and Budapest. Hungary's government has also blocked significant EU aid packages intended for Ukraine as leverage in negotiations. Despite the fines and frozen funds, Hungary remains hopeful of resolving the situation through discussions with the EU Commission.
