Poland, Hungary & Czech Republic broke EU laws by refusing to host migrants in 2015 – ECJ advocate general

Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic broke the law by refusing to take in asylum seekers coming to the EU during the chaotic summer of 2015, an adviser to the bloc’s highest court said on Thursday.

The feud over migration has bitterly divided the EU since a spike in Mediterranean arrivals caught it unprepared in 2015. The three ex-communist countries on the EU’s eastern flank refused to take in any of those refugees and migrants, citing security concerns. They also questioned the legal grounds for the EU assigning each country a fixed quota of people to accept.

The advocate general, who advises the European Court of Justice (ECJ), said on Thursday that the EU’s principle of solidarity “necessarily sometimes implies accepting burden-sharing,” Reuters reported.

The ECJ, which can fine member states, is not obliged to, but usually does follow the advocate general’s opinions. A ruling in the case is expected early next year.