Upon the request of the Government of Hungary, Minister of Justice László Trócsányi sent the following letter to First Vice President of the European Union Frans Timmermans.
Mr Frans Timmermans,
First Vice President European Commission
Brussels
Dear Mr Vice President,
On the 22nd June 2015, the Hungarian Office of Immigration and Nationality informed the competent authorities of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, The United Kingdom, Finland, France, Poland, Germany, Norway, Italy, Sweden and Slovakia that as of 23rd June 2015, the Hungarian authorities are temporarily, for an indefinite duration, not in a position to receive the transfers under Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (Dublin III Regulation) of persons who have submitted application for international protection.
On behalf of the Government of Hungary, I wish to underline that Hungary fully respects the common migration policy of the Union, including the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation. We expect other Member States to do the same.
Please let me inform you that between 1st January and 22nd June 2015, the number of illegal migrants captured at the external Schengen borders of Hungary amounted to 60 620, of which 60 089 had been captured at the Hungarian-Serbian border. The number of applications for international protection submitted to the Hungarian authorities this year has also exceeded 60 000. These numbers are far higher than in the previous periods and there is nothing to suggest that the pressure on Hungary will ease. The capacities currently available are limited to respect the basic obligations stemming from the Dublin rules (ie. registration, care and maintenance). We do comply with these obligations. The administrative capacity relating to asylum seekers is continuously increased in parallel to the improvement of the existing system of care and maintenance.
This extraordinary situation requires crisis management and forces us to introduce immediate measures of temporary nature. This does not mean that Hungary is not committed to fully comply with the Regulation.
Asylum seekers submitting their application in Hungary very often arrive through a route that supposes that they should have already been registered in a member state according to the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation. I believe that the current situation in Hungary could have been avoidable, had all Member states that are on the migratory route fully applied the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation.
The Government of Hungary will do everything in its power to remedy the problem. I am therefore at your disposal to discuss, as soon as possible, the problems relating to the application of the Regulation, provided by - with regard to the extraordinary situation - Article 33 of the Regulation.
Budapest, 24th June 2015
Yours sincerely,
Trócsányi László
(Ministry of Justice)
