Hungary faces decision on mass migration state of emergency expiration

The state of emergency in Hungary caused by mass migration is set to expire on September 7. The government must now decide whether to extend this measure, which has been continuously renewed since March 2016.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee has stated that there is no need to maintain the state of emergency and argues that it lacks a legal basis. The organization maintains that ending the emergency would not mean abandoning border protection or dismantling fences, but would instead allow for a return to lawful border and immigration procedures.

This issue follows a 2020 ruling by the European Union Court, which found the practice to be in violation of EU law. Because Hungary has not implemented the ruling, the court has imposed fines totaling over 1 billion euros (approximately 370 billion forints), with the European Commission continuously deducting these funds from resources allocated to the country.