Orbán’s cabinet ready for Brussels to lean heavily on Hungary due to migrant policy

Budapest, March 30 (MTI) – The government expects strong pressure to be exercised by the European Commission, the Strasbourg court and civil organisations due to the country’s migration policy, the government office chief said on Thursday.

The EC is likely to pressurise Budapest in order to force Hungary to approve the mandatory EU migrant quota, János Lázár told a weekly press conference. He added that the government understands that the launch of a related court case could be announced in the near future.

Several decisions are expected to be made by the European Court of Human Rights in the upcoming period, which he said would also be “attempts to [put Hungary] under pressure”.

He said the European institutions had found an ally in Hungary, namely the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which he said had become a “political organisation”. He added that if the Helsinki Committee indeed considered its work a matter of principle, then it would offer the 2.7 million forints (EUR 8,700) awarded by the Strasbourg court to charities working beyond the borders.

Commenting on the stricter legal regulations introduced by Hungary to protect its border, he said the government is ready to undergo all EU reviews because he is convinced that the amended regulations meet all community laws. A joint working team by the cabinet and the EU will assess the regulations for three months, he added.

The stricter laws were already in place on Wednesday and eight asylum seekers are now waiting at the border while their applications are assessed, he said. Some 324 containers have been set up in the transit zone and this capacity can be expanded according to demand, he added. Adults get three daily meals and children five meals, as well as full social and health services, he said.