EU Takes Hungary to Court Over Immigration Law
The European Union is taking Hungary to court over the country’s immigration law, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported. The legal action by Brussels seeks to repeal a law passed last year by Hungary’s parliament aimed at securing the country’s borders and combating illegal trafficking of migrants. The case will he heard by the top EU court, the European Court of Justice.
The legislation is known as the “Stop Soros” law, named after Hungarian-born U.S. investor George Soros who funds far-left causes across the world. The legislation restricts the ability of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)—like the ones funded by Soros—from interfering in the country’s asylum procedures.
“Hungary could face economic sanction if the court side with the EU,” German state broadcaster ARD noted. Many in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic party want EU’s financial allocations to Hungary conditional on compliance with Brussels’ immigration policies.
The Deutsche Welle reported EU’s legal action against Hungary:
The European Commission filed a case against Hungary at the European Court of Justice on Thursday over the “Stop Soros” law, which makes it a crime to help asylum seekers and enforces new restrictions on the right to claim asylum.The title refers to Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros, who has been regularly targeted by the nationalist government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban for allegedly supporting mass migration into Europe.”The Hungarian legislation curtails asylum applicants’ right to communicate with and be assisted by relevant national, international and non-governmental organisations by criminalising support to asylum applications,” the Commission said.The law “is not compatible with EU or international law,” it added.
The legal measures against Hungary appear meant to deter other EU member states from implementing laws restricting illegal immigration. The lawsuit will send “an unambiguous message to all member states that laws, such as ‘Stop Soros,’ . . . will be challenged at every level,” said Eve Geddie, head of Amnesty’s EU division.
Deplored by the commissars in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orban enjoys strong support for his tough stance of illegal immigration at home. In a 2016 referendum, 98 percent of Hungarian voters sided with Prime Minister Orban in rejecting the EU’s migrant relocation plan. He scored a stunning victory in last year’s general elections, winning almost half of the vote and a two-thirds majority in the national parliament.
President Donald Trump has often praised the Hungarian leader for his prudent immigration policy. “You’ve done a good job and you’ve kept your country safe,” the U.S. president told Prime Minister Orban during his White House visit in May.
It remains to be seen how Hungary will fare at the European Court of Justice, the top EU court. The Luxembourg-based court has a track record of handing out rulings supportive of the EU’s open border immigration policies. In June 2017, the ECJ dismissed a lawsuit filed by Hungary and Slovakia challenging the EU’s mandatory migrant relocation plan. In a ruling earlier this year, the court prohibited German immigration officers from checking passports on cross-border buses entering the country.
President Trump praises Hungary’s Orban on immigration
[Cover image via YouTube]
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