Serious human rights violations in the Hungarian asylum system Two years ago, the Hungarian government began to criminalise asylum seekers and migrants with clear political motivations. Within a few months, their initial verbal aggression and hate campaign targeting refugees had developed into actual legislative amendments which violated refugees’ rights. By Nóra Köves
The Referendum in Hungary: “A Clear Foreign Policy Debacle and a Temporary Domestic Setback for the Government” What comes after the failed referendum in Hungary? Political scientist Bulcsú Hunyadi about Orbáns objectives and about Hungarians who are tired of the migration topic. By Silja Schultheis and Bulcsú Hunyadi
Orbán’s Referendum on Refugee Quotas Is Meaningless and Irresponsible The Hungarian government will hold a referendum in order to signal to Brussels that refugees are not welcome in Hungary. The referendum cannot influence EU policies, and may not even be legal. By Nóra Dioszegi-Horvath
Hungarian refugee policies may lead to massive human rights violations Declaring Serbia a safe third country was the first of Hungarian repeated violations of human rights. Hungary turned the humanitarian crisis into a purely political issue. It seems that Europe too will choose to follow the politics of closed doors. By Nóra Köves
After the EU Summit: Between Appeasement and Campaign Rhetoric It remains to be seen whether the majority decision on the redistribution of 120,000 refugees was a clever move. In Central Eastern Europe, the voices against the “dictate of the majority” cannot be ignored. By Eva van de Rakt
In Favour of a Solidary EU Refugee Policy A special EU summit of heads of state and government will take place on 23 September. After years of neglect, however, a solidary EU refugee policy cannot be elaborated in summary proceedings and under pressure. A commentary by Eva van de Rakt. By Eva van de Rakt
In Favour of a Solidary EU Refugee Policy A special EU summit of heads of state and government will take place on 23 September. After years of neglect, however, a solidary EU refugee policy cannot be elaborated in summary proceedings and under pressure. A commentary by Eva van de Rakt. By Eva van de Rakt
The Refugee Crisis – Europe’s Humanity and Ability for Political Action on Trial For Europe, the current refugee crisis presents a two-fold challenge: Will we uphold our humanitarian values, that is, do we view the refugees as people in need and with a right to a safe haven? And will the EU, in the face of this challenge, act as one – or will national selfishness erode European togetherness? By Ralf Fücks
The Refugee Policy of the Visegrád Countries: “No one invited you.” After images of Budapest’s Keleti train station illustrating the urgent need for a fast and coordinated EU assistance programme for refugees had been circulating around the world for days, the governments of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia again reaffirmed their vehement “no” to the EU Commission’s proposal for refugee quotas. By Silja Schultheis
Engagement for Refugees in Budapest From my hotel room in Budapest at the weekend, I followed the images of Germany’s Willkommenskultur, the country’s policy and manner of welcoming refugees and migrants. They have now been granted permission to travel via Austria to Germany. By Eva van de Rakt