The European Union initiated measures to recover funds from Hungary after the country’s government, which has strong anti-migrant policies, refused to pay a significant fine for violating the EU’s asylum regulations. The EU’s highest court had instructed Hungary to pay 200 million euros ($223 million) for consistently denying migrants the opportunity to seek asylum, with an additional fine of 1 million euros for each day of non-compliance. Describing Hungary’s actions as a severe violation of EU law, the court’s ruling was criticized by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as unacceptable.

The European Commission confirmed that due to Hungary’s failure to adhere to the court’s ruling or provide information on its plans, the EU was implementing an offsetting procedure. This involved deducting the 200 million euros from future payments Hungary would receive from the EU budget. Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari explained that the process of identifying the specific funds to be deducted would require some time.

Furthermore, the commission had sent an initial payment request for the daily fines totaling 93 million euros ($103 million) to Hungarian authorities. Ujvari highlighted that the Hungarian government had 45 days from the receipt of the request to make the payment.

Since the significant influx of over a million people into Europe in 2015, mostly from Syria, Hungary has maintained strict border controls. Changes made by Hungary to its asylum system following this crisis were at the core of the legal case against the country. The establishment of border fences with razor wire, as well as transit zones for asylum seekers, were part of Hungary’s response at that time.

In a ruling in 2020, the European Court of Justice found Hungary guilty of limiting access to international protection, unlawfully detaining asylum seekers, and violating their rights during the asylum application process. Hungary closed the transit zones shortly after the ruling, yet the European Commission determined that the country had not fully complied with the court’s decision, leading to the imposition of fines.

Hungary’s government enforced additional stringent measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring asylum seekers to apply for a travel permit at Hungarian embassies in Belgrade or Kyiv before entering the country. This process further complicated the already challenging asylum application procedure for individuals seeking protection. People have the legal right to apply for asylum or international protection if they fear persecution or harm in their home countries due to various factors such as race, religion, ethnicity, or gender discrimination.