Press

The latest Horizont podcast focuses on the austerity measures of Friedrich Merz’s government, developments in asylum applications, and the challenges of integrating Ukrainian refugees. It also discusses the rise of the AfD, social discontent with the handling of migration, and the question of how much immigration can alleviate the labor shortage in Germany.

Terrorists are flooding Afghanistan to join al-Qaeda and ISIS-K. Neighboring countries fear an increased terrorist threat and a deterioration of regional security. Could Afghanistan become a stronghold for terrorists under Taliban rule?

Sexual crimes grew with the increase in illegal migration to Europe, putting pressure on women in the countries concerned. “There are countless such crimes, and similar acts of aggression are also committed against the European population, even against tourists, because – let’s be honest – such attacks have become almost commonplace”, says Róbert Gönczi.

Three Moroccan migrants committed gang rape against two Hungarian women in Sicily, while a teacher was stabbed at a vocational school in Germany, and almost every day we hear about violent crimes committed by people with a migrant background in Europe. The migration crisis began 10 years ago.

Jihadist terrorism remains a prime risk, Europol warns. According to the European Union Police Office’s 2025 report on the state of terrorism, the number of attacks carried out by lone terrorists is on the rise, said Viktor Marsai, director of Migration Research Institute and lecturer at the National University of Public Service.

Viktor Marsai, director of Migration Research Institute and lecturer at the National University of Public Service was a guest on Hit Radio’s Worldview program. The discussion focused on the future of African migration, with particular emphasis on overpopulation, climate change, and armed conflicts. According to Marsai, these could have serious consequences for Europe.

New report by Frontex shows that although traffic has decreased on several irregular migration routes to Europe, the numbers remain high. Alongside the decline seen on the Western Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean routes, new routes  emerged towards Crete and the Balearic Islands, while more people also arrived in Italy.

After a decade of European struggle with illegal migration, the willkommenskultur announced by Angela Merkel in 2015 has changed significantly. Western Europeans had enough of migrants, most of whom are a burden on the social welfare system. Anti-immigration parties grew stronger. Still, Brussels continues to push for the migration pact and to punish Hungary.

The European Union’s migration policy suffered a series of failures in recent years, says MRI director Viktor Marsai. According to Marsai, divisions among member states and Brussels’ overly humanitarian approach prevented an effective EU response, while the partnership with Libya only made people smugglers stronger. In the long term, voters may force a change.

The Orbán government then decided to build a fence along the southern border. Brussels has not changed its migration policy, and migration pressure continues unabated. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán promised in a recent interview that Hungary would not become a country of immigration and that the government would continue its current migration policy.

Migration has drastically declined in Hungary since more than one million people entered the country in 2015. The Hungarian Government put up border fences and tried to stop many from crossing, a move that prompted hefty fines from the European Court of Justice.

Denmark was stricter from the outset, while Sweden and Norway tightened their asylum policies. Most of the 150,000 to 160,000 Ukrainian refugees living in these three countries would not return home even after the war, and their protection will remain in place until 2027 for the time being.

Edith Dócza, senior analyst at Migration Research Institute, said that Karol Nawrocki’s inauguration marks the official beginning of a new political era in Poland, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party leads the Labour Party by nine points in the polls, and more and more AfD candidates are being rejected in local elections.

“Anti-Semitic discourse has receded, but anti-Muslim sentiment is growing in its place.” Omar Sayfo, an expert at Migration Research Institute was hosted on Heti TV’s morning show Pirkadat by Ádám Breuer-Zehevi. The discussion focused on the spread of anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe, Palestinian migration, and the situation of the Druze community.

Scandinavian countries responded with unprecedented speed and unity to the wave of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. In an interview with Magyar Nemzet, Emese Kovács, an analyst at Migration Research Institute emphasized that Ukrainian refugees were granted temporary status in the host countries, but they face numerous obstacles on the road to long-term settlement.

A retired bishop’s sharp criticism of the government’s migration policy caused a major domestic political stir in Poland. The bishop’s words that “Poland today is run by political gangsters” shows what a hot-button issue migration remains in the country where even the words of a retired bishop can spark domestic political battles.

The Greek administration’s new migration policy could bring radical changes to EU border protection. In order to curb migration, Athens is not only introducing stricter laws but also taking military action against illegal border crossers, while reviewing international organizations dealing with migration.

Despite the decline in traffic on the Western Balkans migration route, large numbers of irregular migrants continue attempted crossings on the Serbia-Hungary border. According to Migration Research Institute’s analysis, migrants changed their strategy: they are moving in clandestine, small groups, while smuggling networks are also revived in the region. Authorities report mixed experiences.

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?