After ECJ ruling Hungary wants to pay for migrants' tickets to Brussels
The Hungarian prime minister's asylum policy frequently violates EU law. Orban is annoyed by the recently imposed fines. His close associate brings a questionable idea into play.
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- The Hungarian government has once again tightened its tone on asylum policy.
- Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, said that the government was prepared to pay tickets to Brussels for migrants and asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU.
- Gulyas criticized a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice.
- "If Brussels wants the migrants, then it should get them," said Orban's close aide.
The right-wing populist government in Hungary has stepped up its tone in the dispute with the EU over its asylum policy. Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, told reporters in Budapest on Thursday that the government was prepared to offer free one-way tickets to Brussels to migrants and asylum seekers attempting to enter the European Union.
Gulyas criticized a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which responded to the country's failure to implement supreme court decisions on the asylum system. According to the ruling, Budapest must pay 200 million euros as well as a daily penalty payment of one million euros for each day of delay.
EU should pay
"If Brussels wants the migrants, it should get them," said Orban's close associate.
Gulyas described the situation created by this ruling as "unacceptable, intolerable and undignified". Hungary hopes to resolve the situation through negotiations with the EU Commission. In addition, his country is considering taking legal action to persuade the EU to contribute to the costs incurred by Hungary due to the costly protection of its borders against irregular migrants.
Gulyas: Hungary does not want to pay endless daily fines
If this does not succeed, "Hungary does not want to endlessly pay a daily fine", he added. Instead, the country would then offer every migrant at the border "that we will bring them to Brussels on a voluntary basis and free of charge".
Under Orban, Hungary has been pursuing an anti-refugee policy for more than ten years. The country has sealed itself off from refugees and migrants with border fences. Only a small number of people seeking protection are able to apply for asylum. The country is therefore repeatedly on a collision course with the EU and its institutions.