EU steps up legal procedure against Hungary for criminalising support for migrants
Source: Reuters
JANUARY 24, 2019 / 5:43 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday it was taking its legal procedure against Hungary to the next step after Budapest criminalised support for migrants, moving the case closer to a possible ruling by the European Court of Justice.
Hungary was the first country in Europe to take a hard anti-immigration line in 2015, when more than a million immigrants arrived, about half of them transiting Hungary en route to Western Europe.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has made anti-immigration a cornerstone of his politics, ordering razor wire fences to be set up and migrants to be held in detention zones while their asylum cases are dealt with - nearly all of which are turned down.
The EU says Hungary’s tough stance has breached EU law, a charge that Budapest denies, defending what it calls its sovereign right to determine its own immigration policy. Hungary also says its tough position ultimately defends Europe.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-orban-immigration-eu/eu-steps-up-legal-procedure-against-hungary-for-criminalizing-support-for-migrants-idUSKCN1PI1FP?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29&&rpc=401
