Hungary offers free travel to Brussels for migrants in response to EU fines

Hungary’s government reaffirmed Friday its plan to offer asylum seekers free, one-way travel to Brussels, aiming to pressure the European Union to ease fines over Hungary's strict asylum policies.

As AP reports, at a news conference in Budapest, State Secretary Bence Rétvári accused the EU of trying to force Hungary to accept “illegal migrants.” He announced the country would provide “voluntary, free, one-way travel to Brussels” for migrants, in response to EU demands.

Standing before passenger buses displaying “Röszke-Brussels” — a route from Hungary’s southern border with Serbia to the EU’s headquarters in Belgium — Rétvári said the transport would occur “after the implementation of the European procedure,” without clarifying the migrants’ status after their relocation.

“If Brussels wants illegal migrants, Brussels can have them,” Rétvári declared.

The plan, reminiscent of actions by U.S. Republican governors sending migrants to liberal-leaning states, follows a June ruling by the European Court of Justice. The court ordered Hungary to pay €200 million ($216 million) for violating EU asylum regulations, with an additional daily fine of €1 million until compliance is reached.

[Information sourced from AP]