The European Court of Justice has imposed a substantial fine on Hungary, amounting to 200 million euros (£168.7 million), with an additional penalty of one million euros (£843,500) per day of delay for non-compliance with the EU’s asylum regulations.

In December 2020, the court ruled that Hungary had violated the EU’s policies regarding the provision of international protection and the return of illegal migrants.

Despite this ruling, Hungary has not taken the necessary steps to comply, prompting the European Commission to seek financial sanctions through new judicial action.

Hungary’s government, known for its stringent anti-immigrant stance, has been particularly strict on border control since the 2015 European migrant crisis, which saw over a million people, primarily fleeing conflict in Syria, enter Europe.

In response, Hungary erected border fences and aggressively sought to prevent entry.

“In its judgment, the court holds that Hungary has not taken the measures necessary to comply with the 2020 judgment”, The European Court of Justice stated. “This failure, which involves deliberately avoiding the implementation of a common EU policy, constitutes an unprecedented and extremely serious infringement of EU law.”

“The decision is outrageous and unacceptable,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook post.

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Hungary introduced a law requiring individuals seeking international protection to travel to Belgrade or Kyiv to apply for a travel permit at Hungarian embassies.

Only after obtaining this permit could they return to Hungary to file their asylum applications. The European Commission challenged this law, asserting that Hungary was not fulfilling its obligations under EU rules, which mandate uniform asylum procedures across member states.

Individuals fearing for their safety or facing persecution based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or other forms of discrimination have the right to seek asylum or international protection under EU regulations.

The additional daily penalty of one million euros (£843,500) takes immediate effect, emphasising the urgency for Hungary to align with EU laws.