The European Union Member States never agree more than on the subject of migration. On 6 September, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz, far right) called on the EU to take more measures to combat illegal immigration.
In a letter addressed to the Member States on 14 October, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that her institution would soon present a new law to facilitate the expulsion of irregular migrants and harmonise policies at international level. The announcement is part of preparations for the European summit on 17 and 18 October, which will be devoted to migration.
Made public as the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum (adopted in May 2024) has yet to fully enter into force, this latest move highlights how repression of immigration has become the new norm across Europe by far-right governments, but also by more “traditional” executives. In Poland, the coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk (KO, centre), despite having been elected expressly to break with the authoritarian policies of the previous government, is now considering temporarily suspending the right of asylum on its soil. This decision is being contested by human rights organisations.
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