The Hungarian government has initiated a legal procedure before the courts of the European Union (EU) to claim compensation for the financial fines imposed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) due to its migration policy, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson informed the Argentine News Agency.
In a video circulated on social media, Tuzson explained that Hungary was sanctioned for “allegedly violating EU migration norms” by denying entry to migrants and failing to comply with previous court rulings.
Million-dollar fines and criticism of the European ruling The minister described the CJEU's decision as “shameful” and stated that the country has taken the unprecedented step of suing the court itself.
In a ruling issued in June 2024, the court determined that Hungary had not taken the necessary measures to comply with the 2020 ruling and imposed a global fine of 200 million euros, plus a daily sanction of one million euros until it aligns its policies with community standards.
According to the state agency MTI, Tuzson maintained that the fine is “unprecedented in the history of the EU” and questioned that the court did not adequately justify the amount imposed.
He also stated that Hungary will not accept the ruling, considering it contains errors and is unjust.
The minister announced that the country will take the case to the General Court of the EU and argued that, under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, if an institution causes damage to a member state, it must offer compensation.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has also repeatedly criticized the judicial decision, calling it “scandalous and unacceptable,” and asserted that it prioritizes undocumented migrants over European citizens.
According to his explanation, the sanction originated from the use of transit zones on the border between Hungary and Serbia, implemented in 2020 to hold migrants while awaiting asylum procedures or their return.
The CJEU ruled against these practices, finding them to violate EU asylum legislation.
