Migration and Refugee Policy in Hungary
The migration and refugee policy in Hungary since independence in 1990, moderate, depending on the ruling political force to restrictive. In a European comparison, Hungary is one of the countries with the most restrictive treatment of migrants. In the course of the refugee crisis in Europe from 2015 onwards , the country became an interim destination for constantly increasing numbers of migrants, mostly coming from Greece, who had made their way to Northern Europe.
Migration to Hungary
In 2012 only 2000 refugees were registered in Hungary. In 2014 around 43,000 refugees arrived in Hungary. In 2015, the migratory movement across Hungary's borders jumped to 150,000 people by August 2015 alone.
Hungary is one of the transit countries for the flow of refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Migrants who come to Hungary generally do not want to stay in Hungary, but only use the country as a transit station towards Western Europe .
Political development
The alliance of Fidesz and KDNP has ruled since 2010 and there was a huge shift in power in parliament towards the right-wing parties of Hungary. On April 18, 2011, with the votes of Fidesz, the new constitution that came into force on January 1, 2012, the Basic Law of Hungary, was passed. As the foundations of the nation, it confesses in its preamble, among other things, to God, the crown ( St. Stephen's crown ) and fatherland , Christianity , family and national pride . The official state name was changed from the Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság) to Hungary ( Magyarország ). The form of government in Hungary is still referred to as a republic in Article B of the constitution; the form of government is parliamentary.
In 2015, the Hungarian parliament discussed the draft amendment to the asylum law submitted by the ruling party Fidesz. This would authorize the government to classify any country, including neighboring Serbia, as “ safe third countries ”. This means that those seeking protection arriving from there can be deported back to the states concerned. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also launched an elaborate poster campaign in 2015 with xenophobic slogans.
On March 7, 2017, the Hungarian parliament voted with a large majority in favor of the introduction of transit zones . In future, all asylum seekers, with the exception of children under the age of 14, are to be housed near the border with Serbia in container settlements secured with barbed wire until their asylum procedure has been completed. They can only leave these facilities early in the direction of Serbia. The Hungarian government justified its action with a supposedly threatening wave of refugees, fear of terrorism and the statement that so far a large number of asylum seekers from Hungary have fled to other countries.The European Court of Justice ruled on May 14, 2020 that the detention of four asylum seekers in the Röszke transit camp amounted to imprisonment. As a result, the Hungarian government closed not only Röszke but also the transit camp in Tompa and distributed the 280 people to various facilities.
Serbian-Hungarian border fence
In mid-2015, the Hungarian government announced that it wanted to secure the border with neighboring Serbia to the south with a four-meter-high border fortification. "The government is determined to protect Hungary and the Hungarian people from immigration pressure," said Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in this context .
On July 13, work began on the 175 kilometer long and four meter high border fence. Work will first be carried out on a 150-meter-long "sample section" on the border with Serbia, the government said.
International ratings
Above all, the border fence in Hungary aroused incomprehension, resistance and rejection in other European countries. Hungary was the country where the Iron Curtain once opened. Many EU governments have spoken out clearly against the construction of a border fence. Human rights organizations criticize the Grenzzaun project as part of a "government propaganda campaign against immigrants".
The Hungarian government reacted angrily to criticism of the French foreign minister's fortification and appointed a French embassy representative at the end of August 2015 . It was stressed that Hungary, as a member of the Union, has an obligation to protect the EU's external border.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR criticized Hungary's decision to set up transit zones in March 2017. It is viewed by European politicians as a breach of international law after the case law of the European Court of Justice forbids the detention of refugees.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b ZEIT ONLINE, AFP, dpa, suk: Hungary appoints representatives from the French embassy. Zeit Online from August 31, 2015.
- ↑ “Controversial new law: Hungary interns almost all asylum seekers - NZZ International”. Accessed March 7, 2017. https://www.nzz.ch/international/kontroverses-neues-gesetz-ungarn-interniert-praktisch-alle-asylbewerber-ld.149680 .
- ^ "Hungary: Parliament votes for internment of refugees - SPIEGEL ONLINE". Accessed March 7, 2017. http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/ungarn-parlament-beschliesst-internierung-von-fluechtlingen-a-1137633.html .
- ^ A b Gregor Mayer: Short process: asylum seekers are interned in Hungary. The standard of March 7, 2018.
- ↑ According to the ECJ ruling: “Unfortunate judgment” - Hungary closes the transit zone for migrants. welt.de, May 21, 2020, accessed on May 21, 2020 .
- ↑ According to the ECJ ruling: Hungary closes the transit zone for asylum seekers. Der Spiegel, May 21, 2020, accessed on May 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Hungary is planning a border fence with Serbia. In: tagesschau.de. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015 ; Retrieved June 17, 2015 .
- ↑ https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/ungarn-135.html
- ↑ Markus Ferber in conversation with Ann-Kathrin Büüsker: “Refugees are not criminals.” Deutschlandfunk, March 8, 2017.