Hungary refuses to pay fines for breaking EU asylum rules. Brussels is taking the money anyway.
Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has begun the process of clawing back hundreds of millions of euros in funds meant to go Hungary. It’s taking the action because the ant-migrant government in Budapest refuses to pay a huge fine for breaking the bloc’s asylum rules. In June, the EU’s top court ordered Hungary to pay 200 million euros for persistently depriving migrants of their right to apply for asylum. The court imposed an additional fine of 1 million euros for every day it fails to comply going forward. Given its failure to pay, the European Commission said Wednesday that it will “deduct the 200 million euro from upcoming payments from the EU budget towards Hungary.”