Hungary launched a new protest against the EU's Pact on Migration which obliges each member state to host a quota of asylum seekers: Budapest threatens to send migrants to Brussels "with a one-way ticket". The Brussels mayor responded by saying that Hungary, which benefits from European solidarity, "is scandalously avoiding its responsibilities".
"It is unacceptable that, with regards to the new EU Pact for Migration, Budapest must take on and scrutinize the highest number of migrant asylum requests after Italy," said the Deputy Secretary of Interior of Hungary, Bence Retvari.
"We don't want a ghetto of migrants at the border, we don't have the ability to control it or the capability to offer shelter," noted Retvari, adding that Budapest is seeking a judicial way to reject the implementation of the Pact.
He added that Hungary does not intend to pay a fine of 200 million euros with a one million euro-a-day delay penalty fee for not having implemented a court sentence of the EU Court of Justice.
The Court found Budapest responsible for not abiding by EU procedures regarding irregular migrants, even before the Pact.
Also read: Poland, Hungary block EU migration statement
'A one-way ticket to Brussels'
"Hungary refuses to shelter a mass number of migrants, and if Brussels tries to force us to shelter them, we will make sure we deliver the migrants who arrived at the Hungarian border directly to Brussels," said the Deputy Secretary.
Gergely Gulyás, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Chief of Cabinet, reiterated the concept stating that Hungary would hand the migrants "a one-way ticket to Brussels", and that the Belgian and EU capital would be thus "forced" to shelter them according to the will of the EU's Court of Justice and the European Commission.
Also read: Seeking asylum in Hungary: Does the current system violate European asylum law?
'Budapest scandalously refuses its responsibilities'
The Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, replied to Budapest on Thursday (August 29): "Hungary benefits from EU's solidarity and it is scandalously avoiding its responsibilities towards other Member States. It is irresponsible to play with the lives of people in need, placing that burden on the citizens of Brussels."
"Hungary must do its part or leave the EU Council Presidency," said Close.
To this, the Hungarian Ambassador to the EU, Tamás Iván Kovács, replied: "Hungary is suffering a lack of solidarity because for nearly 10 years we have been safeguarding the external border of Hungary and of the European Union without any significant support from the EU."
Also read: Hungary's 'legal' pushbacks lead to more border violence