Hungary confirmed its intention to send migrants to Brussels on Friday, further escalating its disagreement with the European Union over asylum seeker regulations. The announcement was made by Rétvári Bence, Hungary’s Secretary of State of the Ministry of Human Resources, during a press conference where he underscored Hungary’s plan to provide free bus fare for migrants to the EU’s capital. This move follows Hungary’s longstanding opposition to EU mandates requiring member states to accept asylum seekers.
In a recent development, Hungary has missed the first deadline for its payment of €200 million for violations of EU refugee regulations. Bence’s announcement came days after this missed deadline and underscored the government’s resistance to the EU’s immigration policies. Hungary introduced its bussing plan in August, which aims to shift the burden of handling migrants to Brussels in response to the imposed fine. Further details can be found in the full report.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also expressed his position, noting that the ongoing migration issues are fracturing the European Union. He suggested that Hungary and other member states should be allowed to opt out of the common migration policy. More details on his statements can be viewed on his social media post.
The EU has yet to issue an official response to Hungary’s plan, which continues to highlight tensions between Hungary’s sovereign policies and the EU’s collective stance on asylum seekers.