(Reuters) Hungary has broken EU laws on protecting vulnerable migrants and refugees by denying them a right to apply for asylum and forcibly deporting people to the Serbian border, the Court of Justice of the European Union said on Thursday.
Hungary said the ruling was moot as it had already closed the transit zones in concern.
The ruling, which legally requires Hungary to change its policy or potentially face fines, is the latest rejection by EU institutions of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s anti-immigration measures since a migration crisis in 2015.
“The court holds that Hungary has failed to fulfil its obligation to ensure effective access to the procedure for granting international protection,” the EU’s highest court said in a statement.
