Hungary unveils controversial refugee policy

The Hungarian government has proposed a controversial plan in response to the EU’s top court ruling, Politico reports. The EU’s top court is forcing Budapest to implement a “no-detention” policy for refugees. To meet the demand, Hungarian Minister Gergely Gulyas has proposed that migrants at the Hungarian border be given a free round-trip ticket to Brussels.

The proposal is seen as a response to the €200 million fine imposed on Hungary last June after the European Court of Justice ruled that Budapest had ignored European asylum law. The court had previously ruled that Hungary had “unlawfully detained” asylum seekers and deported them before they could appeal the rejection of their applications.

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The Hungarian proposal appears to be inspired by a similar strategy used in the United States. In 2022, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, took a similar step with asylum seekers at the U.S. border, putting about 50 migrants on a flight to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Julias sees the idea as an alternative to complying with the EU court ruling. He said asylum seekers would be given the opportunity to negotiate with the European Commission about their reception after arriving in Brussels.

In addition to the fine, Hungary must pay another €1 million for each day it fails to comply with the court ruling. Budapest is now investigating whether it can recover some of these costs from the European Commission through legal action.

Key points

• The Hungarian government has proposed an unconventional solution to comply with the EU's top court ruling.
• The country will voluntarily offer all migrants at the Hungarian border a free one-way ticket to Brussels.
• The proposal is seen as a response to the €200 million fine imposed on Hungary in June.

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