European Union Court Denda Hungary Rp3.5 Trillion Regarding Migrant Policy, PM Orban: Too Much

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. (Wikimedia Commons/Vlada Republie Slovenije/Bor Slana)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Viktor Orban assessed that the hundreds of millions of euros fines imposed by the European Union Court against Hungary regarding the migrant policy were unacceptable.

The European Union's top court on Thursday ruled that Hungary should pay a fine of 200 million euros (Rp 3,506,512,246,000) for not implementing changes to its policies in dealing with migrants and asylum seekers at its borders.

In its ruling, the European Court said Hungary had failed to take action "to comply with the 2020 ruling in connection with the right of international protection applicants to remain in Hungary, pending a final decision against their appeal against the rejection of their petition and the expulsion of third citizens living illegally".

The Budapest government, which previously refused to implement a 2020 court ruling, will also be required to pay a daily fine of one million euros to fully implement the measure.

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

PM Orban's government argues that the 2020 decision is irrelevant because it has closed the so-called "transfer zone" and has also tightened regulations to prohibit asylum applicants in the future.

The European Commission submitted a second petition to the court in early 2022, saying Hungary had not taken all necessary measures to comply with a 2020 panel ruling.

"This failure, which consists of intentionally avoidance against the implementation of the European Union's overall general policy, is an unprecedented and very serious violation of EU law," the ECJ ruling said on Thursday.

Under current law, people can only apply for asylum outside the Hungarian border, at its embassy in neighboring Serbia or Ukraine. Those who try to cross the border are routinely rejected.

PM Orban, who has frequently clashed with the EU executive commission over various issues, from Hungarian justice independence to arms shipments to Ukraine, pledged in 2021 to "maintain existing rules (regarding asylum seekers), even if a European court ordered us to change them".