Hungary won’t change its immigration laws, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at a press conference Tuesday, in defiance of a ruling from the EU’s top court, Politico reports.
Last month, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that a 2018 Hungarian bill — which prevented people from applying for asylum if they came to Hungary from a country where their life and freedom were not at risk and outlawed individuals and organizations from helping illegal migrants claim asylum — meant that Hungary had “failed to fulfill its obligations” under EU law.
“We will not do anything to change the system of border protection,” Orbán said Tuesday. “We will maintain the existing regime, even if the European court ordered us to change it.”
After Hungary passed the controversial 2018 law, the European Commission took legal action and sent a letter of formal notice blaming Budapest for violating the EU’s rules. But Hungary did not change its legislation, and the Commission referred the country to the CJEU.
Hungary and the EU have been clashing for years on issues ranging from judicial independence to media freedoms and refugees’ rights. Orbán has repeatedly accused Brussels of working against the country’s national interest and meddling in its internal politics.
Hungary will hold a general election in April or May 2022.
