Members of a roundtable discussion held on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day urged the creation of a common European migration and refugee policy.

According to Boldizsár Nagy, international law expert and lecturer at the ELTE and CEU Universities, the European Union has taken no steps so far to create a common migration policy even though it distinguishes citizens of third countries.

Tamás Molnár, Head of Department at the Ministry of Interior stated that there is a demand for a common policy, which is signalled by the introduction of the Asylum and Migration Fund in the upcoming EU budget. He also noted that Member States currently are not interested in creating such a common regulation.

Gottfried Köfner, the UNHCR’s Regional Representative for Central Europe, highlighted that several Member States have their own migration policies, adding that politicians tend to postpone discussions on such issues, but that this might result in a catastrophic situation. He emphasised that the EU must create a common migration strategy by the end of 2012. Köfner also mentioned the problem of diversity in migration, as there is no legal definition regarding political and economic refugees, adding that it would be important to ensure the same rights for refugees in every Member State.

According to Judith Tóth, expert on constitutional law, even though burden-sharing with regard to migration is a good idea, it has never been realised. She emphasised the importance of Hungary’s Supreme Court, the Curia, having set up an immigration and migration workgroup.  According to the workgroup’s findings, decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.

András Kováts sociologist, Director of the Menedék Hungarian Association for Migrants, talked about the European context, recalling that there are 500 million people in the EU, of which 38 million people are third country citizens. In recent years, the number of people arriving in the EU has decreased significantly, from 2.5 million to 1.7 million. Kováts emphasised the importance of reuniting families and humanitarian immigration, mostly practiced in Scandinavian countries.

(Ministry of Interior)