World

Hungary Takes EU To Court Over Migrant Demands

REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh/File Photo

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Jacob Bojesson Foreign Correspondent
Font Size:

Hungary and Slovakia addressed the European Court of Justice Wednesday in a joint case against the European Union’s refugee distribution scheme.

The EU Council has moved to distribute hundreds of thousands of refugees across Europe to lighten the burden on Italy and Greece. The Hungarian government has opposed the move from the start and proposes a new mechanism to mass deport migrants instead.

“We have complied a ten-point list of reasons we believe this decision to be illegal,” Hungary’s Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi told German newspaper Die Welt. “The decision to assign quotas also sends the wrong signal to potential migrants.”

Trocsanyi said the current message from the EU is “Go ahead and come to Europe, we will handle the distribution.”

So far, less than 18 percent of the 100,000 migrants have been relocated under the quota system. A ruling in the case is expected this fall and Trocsanyi said Hungary will accept the outcome.

“Hungary abides by the law and fulfils its duties,” he told Die Welt.

Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman for the Hungarian government, told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Hungary’s disputes with the EU is rooted in the country’s refusal to give up elements of sovereignty.

“We would like to retain the elements of sovereignty, which are there by law, and we are against a stealth way of taking away elements of your sovereignty,” Kovacs told TheDCNF in a recent interview.

Hungary argues the “four freedoms” of the EU project — the free movement of goods, capital, services and people — can only be ensured if the outer borders are protected.

“You can not defend the achievements of Schengen from within. It has be done at the borders,” Kovacs said.

READ THE FULL STORY on Hungary’s new wall and “border hunters” right here >>>

Follow Jacob on Twitter

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.