Border Management and Migration Controls – Hungary report

This report gives an overview of the major developments of the Hungarian border and migration control policy, the subsequent practices and dominant political narratives focusing mainly, but not exclusively, on the past five-year period. It will discuss the role of actors involved in migration governance, the cooperation among them and with international stakeholders. In terms of sources, the report relies on the relevant academic literature, legislation, policy reports, research reports and reviews by NGOs and EU institutions, as well as qualitative interviews conducted with public and third sector stakeholders. The qualitative content analysis predominantly draws on the Prime Minister’s speeches on themes related to borders, migration, security, and the future of Europe available at the Prime Minister’s Office website.

Key findings include:

• The major emphasis of the Hungarian pre-entry policy has been on the facilitation of kin-state politics and the so-called “Eastern Opening” (Keleti Nyitás) Programme;
• The border control regime has been significantly reinforced since 2015 coupled with an extensive deployment of police and military personnel;
• The Hungarian border and migration management’s sole aim has been to prevent irregular migrants from entering the country irrespective of their protection needs;
• The implemented policy and the applied measures are often at variance with, and depart from Hungary’s human rights obligations;
• The Hungarian political discourse is overwhelmed by security-focused narratives with a total lack of solidarity towards asylum seekers;
• The cooperation between civil society organisations and the government is nonexistent; NGOs involved in migration management face criminal liability.