Press

Spain saw a spectacular demographic and migration transition in recent years, which also changed the labor market. Population growth is almost exclusively due to immigration. Migrants took 90 percent of the new jobs, and last year the Spanish economy grew by 13.5 percent, Migration Research Institute’s analyst Róbert Gönczi told InfoRadio.

Meszár Tárik’s latest volume, Jews in an Arab Country, deals with a topic little explored in Hungary, namely the history of the Jewish diaspora in Mesopotamia, including the fate of Iraqi Jewry. It traces the events that eventually led to the disappearance of this community from Iraq.

One in 25 people in Germany holds refugee or protection status, according to data from the German Federal Statistical Office. Since taking office, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition repeatedly tightened immigration policy, with the next step the introduction of a quota for the number of asylum seekers who can be admitted. A Migration Research Institute analysis.

Should we fear an escalating crisis in the already unstable Middle East that could spread to other parts of the world? What is the situation now in Syria, Yemen, Oman? MRI’s Head of Research Omar Sayfo helps make sense of what is happening in the Arabian Peninsula amidst the region’s complexities and diverging interests.

Denmark takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1. The country made the fight against irregular migration a priority in its program for the presidency. In sharp contrast to the long-standing humanitarian approach, it identifies migration as a security challenge. Will Denmark’s strict migration policy be implemented at the EU level?

Europe welcomed refugees from the war in Ukraine in early 2022 with an unprecedented show of solidarity. But as the conflict drags on, the Ukrainians’ stay in Europe lengthens, and there is growing talk of “solidarity fatigue” across Europe. What will the future bring for Ukrainian refugees stranded in European countries?

Le rapport Morocco at Crossroads publié par le Migration Research Institute, présente le royaume comme «le pays le plus stable du Maghreb», malgré des tensions durables avec l’Algérie. Il souligne que «malgré des tensions de haut niveau avec l’Algérie, le Maroc bénéficie d’un soutien quasi inconditionnel des États-Unis». Selon l’analyse, «les prochains mois pourraient voir […]

Thousands of people wait outside the UNHCR registration centre in Egypt every day. Many of them do not get refugee status, but have nowhere to go from here. Viktor Marsai, Director of Migration Research Institute, reports from the field.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union reached another milestone in cooperation on migration. The parties signed a status agreement allowing Frontex, the EU’s border and coast protection agency, to carry out direct operations in the Balkan country. Analysis by Migration Research Institute.

The US is increasingly treating Greenland as a direct partner, while ignoring Denmark and even accusing it of negligence. The resulting tensions in the trilateral relationship could test not only the future of the Arctic, but also the cohesion of NATO and the foundations of US-European security cooperation.

The Middle East conflict entered its most dangerous phase yet. According to the Israeli defence ministry, some 200 fighter jets were deployed, with air strikes mainly targeting nuclear, military and strategic installations. Over 20 senior military leaders were killed in the offensive, as well as several key scientists from the nuclear program.

Clashes erupt in the U.S. as Donald Trump’s executive order banning citizens of twelve countries from entering the country enters into force. The threat of a terrorist attack against the U.S. from the Sahel is imminent, according to the head of USAFRICOM. Another wave of refugees could be heading from Egypt towards Europe.

Three years of war forced over five million people to leave Ukraine. Migration can create not only a humanitarian crisis but also a demographic and economic one, especially if a significant number of refugees remain abroad permanently. Fewer and fewer people are expected to return to Ukraine, while international support is gradually dwindling.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise across Europe since the Hamas attack in October 2023. Young people from immigrant backgrounds are attacking Jews and chanting anti-Israel slogans. Irregular migrants are also taking part in the atrocities, says a new analysis by Migration Research Institute.

The 2015 migration crisis marked a turning point in Nordic countries long seen as models of openness. Our researcher talks about the tightening of immigration rules in Sweden, Denmark and Norway; the new restrictive line of the Social Democrats; the Nordic experience of Ukrainian refugees; and why the former Nordic model of solidarity cannot return.

Tunisia is unafraid to use questionable means to keep African migrants out. People are transported to the middle of the desert, and the least fortunate may end up as slaves. The country is a main transit point on the Central Mediterranean route, and the migrants’ presence causes social tensions. Analysis by our researcher Sára Kmeczkó.

Ruthless criminals, rapists, and terrorists entered the United States after the Biden administration opened the borders to illegal immigrants. Donald Trump closed the gates, but will the new administration be able to repair the damage? Jessica Vaughan, Director of Public Policy Studies at CIS in Washington, DC was interviewed by MRI’s Omar Sayfo.

Countries in the region took different approaches to immigration historically, with Denmark the strictest, Sweden the most welcoming, and Norway somewhere in between. But the patterns are now reversed, and the roles of the three Nordic countries have shifted dramatically. An analysis by our researcher Emese Kovács.

“Multi-faceted, occasionally surprising, generally bloody, and almost always tragic” is how participants at the international conference organised by Migration Resesearch Institute characterised the connections between the ruthlessness of political violence and the criminal underworld. Presenters covered a range of criminal and terrorist gangs, all groups sharing the elements of weapons, money, drugs, and violence.

A Horizont podcast on the political and social context of the upcoming Polish presidential elections with MRI analyst Róbert Gönczi. Topics of discussion included Polish-Ukrainian relations, the social perception of Ukrainian refugees, and the radicalization of discourse on migration, along with the challenges posed by discursive radicalization for political actors of the moderate center.

Criminal organizations are increasingly active along the Western Balkan migration route, including on the Hungary-Serbia border. Migrants report regular abuse and ill-treatment. An analysis by Migration Research Institute.

Migration Research Institute’s analyst Róbert Gönczi spoke on the evening news program of TVP World, the international news channel of Polish public television, about the challenges facing the Italian migration centers in Albania, and what the outcome of the Albania plan could mean for externalisation policy at the European level.

In capital investment, the EU is not doing bad at all in expansion on the African continent. Moreover, European countries are often better at adapting to local conditions than some of their biggest competitors, such as China. Hungary also plays an active role in economic cooperation with Africa. MRI’ director spoke on VG podcast.

While Sweden champions solidarity with Ukraine in its foreign policy, within its own borders it turns a cold shoulder to those fleeing the war. Behind the promises of international support, the reality is becoming increasingly apparent: limited rights, scarce access to social services, and an uncertain future for Ukrainian refugees. MRI researcher Emese Kovács’s analysis.