Penalty not paid

Brussels now wants to pay less money to Hungary

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could receive 200 million euros less from the EU.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Piero CRUCIATTI)

Because Hungary failed to pay a fine of 200 million euros imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June on time, Brussels now wants to withhold the money from future EU payments to Budapest. This is due to violations of EU asylum law by Viktor Orbán's government.

The 15-day deadline for Hungary to pay the 200 million euros expired on Tuesday, said a Commission spokesperson. A so-called compensation procedure will therefore be initiated. "We will now deduct the 200 million euros from upcoming payments from the EU budget to Hungary." 

The ECJ had already declared significant parts of the Hungarian asylum system to be unlawful in previous rulings. The European Commission has been accusing Hungary of disregarding EU standards and fundamental values for years and has already frozen billions in funding for the country as a result. Among other things, it was said that migrants had no effective access to asylum procedures.

Budapest threatens to send migrant buses to Brussels
Following the ECJ ruling, Budapest threatened to bring refugees and migrants to Brussels. "If Brussels wants the migrants, it should get them," said Hungarian Chancellery Minister Gergely Gulyas, a close associate of Orbán. Gulyas described the situation created by this ruling as "unacceptable, intolerable and undignified". Hungary hopes to resolve the situation through negotiations with the EU Commission.