The European Court of Justice has slapped Hungary with a hefty 200 million euros ($216 million) mulct, coupled with a daily penalty of one million euros ($1.08 million), for flouting the European Union’s asylum regulations and unlawfully expelling migrants.
Hungary’s staunchly anti-immigrant administration has maintained a tough stance on inbound individuals since the surge of over one million refugees and asylum seekers flooded into Europe in 2015, mainly escaping conflict in Syria.
The court’s decision underscores Hungary’s failure to adhere to a 2020 ruling mandating that applicants for international protection have the right to remain in Hungary until a final decision is reached on their appeal against the rejection of their application and the expulsion of unlawfully residing third-country nationals.
Despite assertions from the government that transit zones have been shuttered and regulations tightened to deter future asylum seekers, the court has deemed Hungary’s efforts insufficient, prompting the European Commission to lodge a second complaint in early 2022.
