The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure against Hungary over the “Stop Soros” package of laws.
The commission has sent the Hungarian government a letter of formal notice concerning the “Stop Soros” laws and related constitutional amendments, EC spokesperson Mina Andreeva told a press briefing on Thursday.
According to MTI, the European Commission has given the Hungarian authorities two months to respond to its concerns.
The Hungarian parliament passed the laws in June, and they are aimed at penalizing the “promotion or organization of illegal migration”.
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe earlier criticized some passages in the new legislation, arguing that they would seriously hinder the operation of legitimate civil groups.
The EC also said it will take Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union over the country’s asylum law, initiating the third phase of the ongoing infringement procedure in connection with that legislation. The infringement procedure was launched in December 2015.
The ruling Fidesz party said that the latest infringement procedure confirmed that Brussels supported migration and “is protecting the Soros organizations”.
“The Stop Soros law and the constitutional amendment prohibiting the settlement of migrants in Hungary stand in their way, this is why they launched the procedure,” the party said in a statement.
“As long as the Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance is in government, Stop Soros and the constitutional amendment will remain intact, because the Hungarian people have made it clear that they do not want Hungary to be made into a country of immigrants,” the statement added.