Creating modern asylum system in Central European countries

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the study is to present the development of modern asylum administration in the four Visegrad countries in the decade after the regime change.
Methodology: The study examines and evaluates the similarities and differences in the mentioned Central European countries by reviewing the available literature and legislation.
Findings: The economic and social background of Czechoslovakia (and later Czech Republic and Slovak Republic), Poland and Hungary showed many similarities in the period under review: at the time of regime change, they all joined to the 1951 Refugee Convention and established their own refugee management system in accordance with Western expectations, which included a set of rules and institutional structures that met international criteria. However, due to their geographic location, they have faced very different challenges, which has led to a periodic disparity in the attitude towards refugees and the volume of foreigners they receive.
Value: In addition to presenting an aspect of the recent history of migration, this publication also serves some supplementation to the current treatment of the forced migration crisis, which is the largest one in Europe since the Second World War. It expands the knowledge of the specialized literature on the subject.