Changing the Discourse, Stopping the Flow, and Saving Europe
In 2015, more than one million asylum seekers entered Europe from the Middle East and Africa. While certain governments welcomed them, Hungary was the first EU member state to recognize that illegal mass migration posed an existential threat to Europe’s sovereignty, stability, security and social cohesion. In response, the Hungarian government closed its borders to halt this unsustainable influx. Alongside constructing a physical barrier, Hungary also established a robust legal framework to address this crisis, devoting vast resources to curbing the flow and dismantling the organized criminal networks facilitating it.
Since their adoption, these measures have been the focus of continuous attacks from the EU Commission, pro-migration governments, and NGOs. Despite this stalwart opposition, Hungary has been gradually gaining ground in the battle for European political opinion. The unending terrorist attacks in Western Europe, emergence of no-go zones and parallel societies, weakening of Europe’s welfare states, and importation of conflicts from migrants’ countries of origin have awakened European citizens. In countries that once fervently supported mass migration, such as Germany and the Netherlands, migration-critical parties have achieved historic electoral success.
Nevertheless, NGOs and EU institutions remain firmly committed to a pro-migration narrative. Although the momentum has shifted toward Hungary’s position, further change in the discourse on irregular mass migration is essential.
This summit, taking place in Szeged, the frontline of Hungary’s fight against illegal migration, will establish a roadmap for member-states to press EU institutions to combat illegal migration, stop the flow and efficiently close borders, and how Europe can adopt best practices implemented both by Hungary and by the current U.S. administration.
The event is free to attend, but to register please fill out the following form:
https://mcc.hu/esemenyregisztracio/mcc-mri-summit-on-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-european-migration-crisis
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agenda:
24 September 2025:
9:00: Opening Remarks
Tamás Dezső, Director General of the Migration Research Institute
Péter Lánczi, the Deputy Director General of MCC
9.30: The Migration Crisis and Hungary
Moderator:
Szabolcs Janik, Researcher in MCC School of Social Sciences and History
Panelists:
Bálint Pásztor, President of VMSZ (Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians)
Zsolt Barthel-Rúzsa, State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, Responsible for Overseeing the Military Intelligence Services
László Kiss-Rigó, Bishop of the Szeged-Csanádi Diocese, Hungary
10.45: Coffee Break
11.15: The Migration Crisis and Europe: Lessons Learned and Best Practices from the Past Decade
Moderator:
Viktor Marsai, Executive Director of the Migration Research Institute
Manuel Ostermann, First Deputy Federal Chairman of the DPolG Federal Police Union (speech in German), Germany
Daniele Scalea, President of the Machiavelli Centre, Italy
Juan Soto Gomez, Founder & CEO of Fortius, Spain
Florian Hartleb, Modul University, Austria
12.45: Lunch
13.45: The Migration Crisis and Europe – How to Change the Discourse? (Patriots Panel)
Moderator:
Rodrigo Ballester, Head of the Center for European Studies at MCC
Panelists:
János Bóka, Minister for European Union Affairs of Hungary
Rocío de Meer Méndez, Member of Spain’s Congress of Deputies for Vox, Spain
Pedro Dos Santos Frazão, Vice-President of Chega, Portugal
Raphael Audouard, Director of the Patriots for Europe Foundation, Belgium
15:00: The American Perspective
Moderator:
Gladden Pappin, President of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs
Panelists:
Eric Ruark, Director of Policy, Federation for American Immigration Reform, USA
Simon Hankison – Senior Research Fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, USA
Nalya Rush, Senior Researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, USA
John Rouse, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, USA
16.15: Coffee Break
16.45: The Burdens of Immigration from Demography to Terrorism
Moderator:
Ralph Schöllhammer, Head of the Center for Applied History and IR Theory at MCC
Panelists:
Hans-Georg Maaßen, Former President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany
Guy Dampier, Senior Researcher at the Prosperity Institute, United Kingdom
Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti, Director General of L'Observatoire de l’Immigration et de la Démographie, France
18.00: Closing Remarks
25 September 2025:
9.30 Crises Around Europe I – Or What Can We Expect from the Countries of Origin? The Horn of Africa and the Middle East
Moderator:
Omar Sayfo, Head of Research of MRI
Panelists:
Tibor Nagy, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, USA
Abshir Aden Ferro, businessman, Candidate for the Presidential Race in Somalia, UK-Somalia
Mohamed Farid, Member of the Egyptian Senate, Egypt
10.45 Crises Around Europe II – Or What Can We Expect from the Countries of Origin? The Sahel
Moderator: Róbert Gönczi, Analyst at the Migration Research Institute
Panelists:
Viktor Marsai, Executive Director of the Migration Research Institute, Hungary
Beatriz de León Cobo, Director of the Spanish Institute for the Analysis of Migration, Spain
12.00 Lunch
13:00 Visiting the operational center of the Hungarian Police Force and the border fence
15:30 Travelling back to Budapest
You may also like the following events from Mathias Corvinus Collegium - MCC:
Also check out other
Business events in Szeged,
Sports events in Szeged.
|
