Hungarian minister threatens to send migrants to Belgium over EU fine
A boy attends a protest against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's immigration policy proposals in central Budapest, Hungary, May 19, 2015. (Reuters Photo)
Gergely Gulyas, a senior Hungarian minister, has threatened to send migrants to Brussels if the European Union continues to fine the country over its asylum policies. During a press conference in Budapest, Gulyas stated, “If Brussels wants migrants, they will get them. We will give them one-way tickets.” His remarks follow the European Court of Justice’s decision to impose a €200 million fine on Hungary for failing to comply with EU asylum regulations.
The court ruled in June that Hungary must pay the fine, along with a daily penalty of €1 million, until it meets the EU’s legal standards on asylum. The judgment criticized Hungary for not implementing earlier rulings that found its asylum system to be in violation of EU law.
Hungary’s handling of migrants has long been contentious. The country has used transit zones along its border with Serbia to hold asylum seekers while their applications are processed. The EU’s court ruled that these zones unlawfully restricted access to asylum procedures and detained migrants in violation of their rights.
Gulyas described the situation as “unacceptable, intolerable, and undignified” and said Hungary hopes to resolve the matter through negotiations with the European Commission. He added that if these efforts fail, Hungary might seek legal action to compel the EU to share the costs of border protection, which Gulyas says have become a significant financial burden.
Hungary remains opposed to EU migration policies, including quotas that distribute migrants across member states. Gulyas emphasized that Hungary will not pay the daily fines indefinitely. “We will offer every migrant at the border the opportunity to voluntarily and freely travel to Brussels,” he said, outlining a potential course of action if the dispute with the EU is not resolved.
The legal battle dates back to a 2020 ruling by the European Court of Justice, which found that Hungary’s asylum procedures and deportation practices were unlawful under EU law. Hungary’s insistence on maintaining its strict border policies has sparked ongoing conflict with EU institutions
