Hungary signals it is serious about sending buses of asylum seekers to Brussels

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has opposed the EU on issues ranging from immigration to foreign policy (Luca Bruno/AP)

Hungary’s anti-immigrant government has signalled it is serious about implementing a plan to send asylum seekers to Brussels, a measure meant to pressure the European Union into relenting on heavy fines against the country for its restrictive asylum policies.

At a news conference in the capital Budapest, state secretary Bence Retvari claimed the EU wanted to force Hungary to allow “illegal migrants” across its borders, and said the country would “offer these illegal migrants, voluntarily, free of charge, one-way travel to Brussels”.