Belgium criticizes Hungarian plan to send asylum seekers

Text size

Belgium on Monday condemned as “unacceptable” a plan by Hungary’s anti-immigration government to send asylum seekers by bus to Brussels, home to the European Union.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is a staunch opponent of immigration, has long been at odds with the European Union over migration and refugee policy.

In July, Budapest said it would not pay a 200 million euro ($220 million) fine and a 1 million euro-a-day penalty imposed by the European Court of Justice for violating asylum rules, saying the EU was exerting “political pressure” on Hungary.

Last week, Hungary unveiled yellow buses that would transport asylum seekers arriving at its southern border with Serbia directly to Brussels for free.

Deputy Interior Minister Bence Retvari on Friday said the EU wanted to “force Hungary to let in detained illegal migrants,” adding that Budapest would “offer these illegal migrants free, voluntary travel to Brussels.”

“If Brussels wants illegal immigrants, it can have them,” Retvari said, according to state television.

Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor on Monday called “Hungary’s threat to send refugees to Brussels… unacceptable.”

“Unilaterally shifting responsibility through threats of this kind undermines solidarity and cooperation within the Union,” she said in a statement.

Asked last month about Budapest’s proposal, the European Commission declined to comment, saying it was used to “strong statements in this policy area from Hungary”.

Orbán continues to tout Hungary’s hard line on migration, which saw a barbed-wire fence erected along the country’s southern border at the height of the 2015 migration crisis, making it virtually impossible for refugees to seek asylum there.

If Budapest refuses to pay the fine imposed by the EU’s highest court, the European Commission will deduct the money from a fund earmarked for Hungary that it has not yet paid out.

bur-ros-kym/ach