Hungary's standing within the EU regarding the refugee crisis has improved recently

HUNGARY - In Brief 21 Sep 2015 by Istvan Racz

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A week ago, we launched a somewhat pessimistic analysis on Hungary's outlook in the ongoing refugee crisis, suggesting that the government has essentially no good choice in trying to solve the problem. This conclusion is still valid for the longer run, but the government used the few tactical chances it had remarkably well over the past few days, and this has led to a material improvement in its standing within the EU, regarding the refugee subject. And all this is terribly important just two days ahead of the EU's special summit, which is to be devoted to the migration issue. Taking a look on what has NOT changed, we have the following items: - The influx of refugees to Europe through the West Balkan route has not stopped or subsided. Migrants are still arriving at a daily rate of 5-7 thousands. - Migration is still affecting Hungary to almost the same extent as previously, despite the government closed down the borders with Serbia on September 15, detouring refugees towards Croatia. But as Croatia does not want tens of thousands of refugees to march through Zagreb, and Slovenia has also closed down its own borders, Croatian authorities are actually transporting well over 90% of all refugees to Hungary's borders, where they can essentially freely cross, in the lack of a fence similar to that just built on the borderline between Hungary and Serbia. - Hungary still receives lots of international criticism for its total refusal of granting asylum to any refugee arriving from a safe third country, for closing down its borders, for building a border fence, for introducing emergency rules in view of the refugee influx, etc., etc. This includes a very bad international press...