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In a sign of the growing schism between the region and Brussels Hungary and Slovakia launched scathing attacks on the European Court of Justice (ECJ) accusing it of political activism. Yesterday the court’s advocate general, Yves Bot, issued an opinion urging judges to reject the two countries’ application to strike out the EU’s migrant resettlement programme. Eurocrats want member states to resettle 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy under a forced allocation system, which was voted through in 2015 despite opposition from Eastern countries.

GETTY Hungary and Slovakia have vowed to carry on fighting migrant quotas

Hungary and Slovakia, supported by Poland, refused to take in their share and instead launched a legal battle to try and prove that the system is a breach of their sovereignty. But yesterday French official Mr Bot dealt that effort a serious blow with the publication of his recommendation, which raised eyebrows due to its highly political nature. The advocate general accused the two countries of failing to show “solidarity” with other member states and said they were politically duty bound to a “fair sharing of burdens”.

GETTY Europe is still in the midst of a migration crisis

But his opinion drew a furious response from Budapest and Bratislava, who vowed to carry on fighting the quota scheme and launched stinging attacks on the Luxembourg court. A spokesman for Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico was unrepentant, fierily stating that the premier “reiterates that he will never accept any mandatory quotas”. And Hungarian justice minister Pal Volner went on the attack against activist European judges, saying it would be “very sorry if the court decides to become part of the political process”. He accused the EU of a deliberate attempt to “upset and jeopardise the European people’s peace and security as part of a forced process of unknown origin”.

We will never accept any mandatory quotas Slovakian Government

And he raged: “The main elements of this statement are political, which are practically used to disguise the fact that there are no legal arguments in it.” “Our legal position is unchanged. If the court bases its decision on the law then we will welcome it positively and we will be very sorry if the court decides to become part of the political process.” In his opinion published yesterday, French official Mr Bot unequivocally stated that judges at the ECJ “should dismiss the actions brought by Slovakia and Hungary” when they come before them later this year. He rejected claims by Hungary and Slovakia that the quota scheme should have been put to national parliaments, and not just decided by EU leaders, and that MEPs should have been handed a greater role in shaping it.