EU Commission Intensifying Legal Procedure Against Hungary Over Migrant Row

A law criminalizing assisting undocumented migrants, dubbed “Stop Soros”, was adopted in June 2018, triggering a harsh reaction in Brussels.

"The European Commission has today decided to send a reasoned opinion to Hungary concerning legislation that criminalises activities that support asylum and residence applications and further restricts the right to request asylum", the commission said in a statement, stressing that it had been the second step in "an infringement procedure for breach of EU law".

The infringement procedure against Budapest was originally launched by the EU in 2015, after the country decided to change its migration policies amid a vast influx of refugees to Europe.

READ MORE: EU Court Wants London to Take Back Migrants Entering Bloc via UK Amid Brexit

The Hungarian government has long been critical of the EU's open-door border policy, rejecting migrant relocation quotas and setting up border fences.

However, the pressure on Hungary intensified following the adoption of the "Stop Soros" package in 2018, with the European Parliament supporting the Lisbon Treaty's Article 7 proceedings against the country, which could result in sanctions against Budapest.