As efforts to relocate asylum seekers around the continent stall, many remain in limbo in camps photos in Greece, and in Italy. — BBC
BUDAPEST, Sept 06 (BBC): The EU's top court has rejected a challenge by Hungary and Slovakia to a migrant relocation deal drawn up at the height of the crisis in 2015.
The European Court of Justice overruled their objections to the compulsory fixed-quota scheme.
Hungary has not accepted a single asylum seeker since the measures were introduced two years ago.
They were an attempt to ease the pressure on frontline countries such as Greece and Italy. But the ruling has sparked fury, with Hungary's foreign minister vowing: "The real fight starts now."
What's the background to this dispute?
Since 2014, about 1.7 million migrants have tried to make new homes in the EU - and the numbers peaked in 2015. In September that year, European leaders agreed to spread a total of 160,000 asylum seekers among member states over two years.
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania voted against the quotas.
The issue was decided by a majority vote - usually followed on issues that do not affect national sovereignty.
Hungary was asked to take 1,294 asylum seekers, Slovakia 802.
To date, Hungary has refused to take a single asylum seeker, while Slovakia has accepted only about a dozen.
Only 28,000 people have actually been relocated under the scheme. Why didn't Hungary and Slovakia want to take in the asylum seekers?
In asking the court to annul the deal, Hungary and Slovakia argued at the Court of Justice that there were procedural mistakes, and that quotas were not a suitable response to the crisis.
Officials say the problem is not of their making, that the policy exposes them to a risk of Islamist terrorism and that it represents a threat to their homogenous societies.