Europe Migrant Crisis: EU Court Rejects Quota Challenge

EU | September 7, 2017, Thursday // 16:11|  views

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The EU's top court has rejected a challenge by Hungary and Slovakia to a migrant relocation deal drawn up at the height of the crisis in 2015, reported BBC. 

The European Court of Justice overruled their objections to the compulsory fixed-quota scheme.

Hungary has not accepted a single asylum seeker under the scheme since it was introduced two years ago.

It was an attempt to ease the pressure on frontline countries such as Greece and Italy.

But the ruling has sparked fury, with Hungary's foreign minister vowing: "The real fight starts now."

Since 2014, about 1.7 million migrants have tried to make new homes in the EU in the worst migrant crisis since World War Two.

Those fleeing war and persecution, many from the Middle East, are entitled to asylum under European and international law.

The numbers peaked in 2015, and in September that year, European leaders agreed to spread a total of 160,000 migrants  "in clear need of international protection" among member states over two years.

To date, only 28,000 people have actually been relocated.

The issue was decided by a majority vote - a system only usually used on issues that do not affect national sovereignty.
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania voted against.

Hungary was asked to take 1,294 asylum seekers, Slovakia 802.

Slovakia has taken only about a dozen, while the Czech Republic has refused to take any for the past year.

To date, Poland and Hungary have refused to take a single asylum seeker under the scheme. That's not to say they have refused all asylum applications - Hungary accepted 444 from January to July this year. But it will not co-operate with this "solidarity" scheme.

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Tags: EU, migrants, quota, Hungary, Slovakia

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