Brussels takes Hungary to court for criminalising activities that help asylum seekers
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The European Commission is referring Hungary to the EU’s highest court after Budapest further tightened eligibility requirements for asylum seekers and made it a criminal offense to help refugees.
The 2018 law prevents people from applying for asylum if they entered Hungary from a third country where their life and freedom were not at risk. That means virtually no one is now eligible to apply.
The legislation also targets individuals and organizations aiding asylum-seekers.
Brussels sent the Hungarian government a formal letter in July 2018 as the first step in pursuing infringement proceedings, and reiterated concerns in January, giving the Hungarian government another opportunity to respond.
“After analysing the Hungarian authorities’ reply, the Commission considered that the majority of the concerns raised have still not been addressed,” the Commission said in a statement Thursday.
Furthermore, Brussels sent another letter of formal notice to Budapest over the situation in the transit zones which it said amount to detention.
“The Commission finds that the detention conditions in the Hungarian transit zones, in particular, the withholding of food, do not respect the material conditions set out in the Return Directive and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,” it explained.
Hungary has one month to respond to the Commission’s concerns.
