Frontex Suspends Operations In Hungary After ECJ Ruling

For the first time in its history, the EU's border agency, Frontex, has suspended its activities in a member state for fear of being complicit in breaking international law.

• EU Observer quotes an EU official stating "The head of Frontex has already made up his mind and will suspend all activities in Hungary".
• Hungarian authorities have continued to push back migrants from coming into the country through its southern border, forcing them back into Serbia. This is in breach of a ruling from the ECJ, and is set to result in Frontex suspending its operations in Hungary.
• For PM Viktor Orban this is unlikely to become a political problem. While the Hungarian gov't will now have to take over all responsibility in monitoring its borders, it will allow Orban to appeal to nationalist sensibilities by presenting himself as the sole defender of Hungarian society.
• There remains pressure from migrant rights activists to see Frontex also suspend its operations in Greece, where they say similar pushback policies are in evidence.