ECJ dismisses challenge to refugee quota scheme

C-643/15 Slovak Republic and Hungary v Council of the European Union

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has dismissed complaints by Slovakia and Hungary against the provisional mechanism for the mandatory relocation of asylum seekers. 

The mechanism was introduced to help Italy and Greece deal with an inflow of people during the migration crisis of 2015.  It provides for the relocation of 120,000 refugees from those countries to other EU member states.  Slovakia and Hungary voted against the mechanism at the Council of the European Union.  They asked the ECJ to annul the decision, arguing that it was neither a suitable response to the migrant crisis nor necessary for that purpose.

In its judgment the ECJ said that the European council had acted lawfully and that the relocation mechanism was not a measure that was manifestly inappropriate.

Read The Guardian’s article here and the Financial Times’ coverage here.