Hungary threatens to bus migrants to Brussels in EU standoff
The Hungarian government has announced its plan to transport migrants to Brussels literally. The intent is to put pressure on the European Union.
The Secretary of State in the Hungarian Ministry of Interior accuses the EU of wanting to force Hungary to admit illegal migrants.
- If the European Union, Brussels, wants to force Hungary to admit illegal migrants, whom we have stopped countless times at the border, then after implementing the procedure, we will offer them a free one-way ticket to Brussels," stated Bence Rétvári.
The conference, where these statements were made, took place with buses displaying the route "Röszke-Brussels" in the background.
Röszke is on Hungary’s southern border with Serbia, and Brussels is the seat of the European Union. "If Brussels wants migrants, they can have them. [...] The transport will be conducted following the implementation of the European procedure," stated Rétvári.
Fine imposed on Hungary
Hungary still has not paid a fine of €200 million (£169 million) imposed by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) for the country's migration policy. If the government in Budapest does not pay within two weeks, the money will be deducted from EU funds. Hungary also faces daily fines of €1 million (£840,000).
The Court of Justice of the EU ruled in 2020 that Hungary violated EU law by detaining asylum seekers in transit zones and deporting those awaiting appeal decisions. The ruling also addressed the use of pushbacks—forcing migrants back to the country they crossed the border from.
Right after the ruling, Hungary declared the elimination of transit zones. However, the CJEU determined that Budapest had not complied with the ruling and imposed a fine of €200 million (£169 million) in June. At the same time, to force Budapest to change its migration policies, the Court announced that if Hungary does not amend its laws in accordance with the ruling, it could face a daily fine of €1 million (£840,000).
The Hungarian government wants the European Commission to account for the funds the country spends on guarding the EU's external border, namely its border with Serbia, towards the fine. According to Budapest's calculations, the Commission owes it €2 billion (£1.7 billion) for this over the past close to 10 years. However, the European Commission spokesman, Balázs Ujvári, emphasized that the procedure for paying or deducting fines is stipulated in EU regulations, and Budapest's proposal does not align with them.
