The impact of Western European border policies on the control of ‘refugees’ in Eastern and Central Europe

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Abstract
Much of the contemporary debate on Western European exclusionary border policies focuses on the nature of that exclusion, rather than the impact such policies are likely to have on border controls of other migrant receiving or producing states. This article addresses some of the issues of Western European border control harmonisation in the context of Eastern and Central Europe, and Hungary in particular. It suggests that the concept of ‘Fortress Europe’ needs some refinement as harmonisation of controls are progressively on different levels, from the Schengen group of ‘inner‐Europe’ to the EEA ‘greater inner‐Europe’, with perhaps the Visegràd group waiting in the wings. What is clear is that present policies and exclusionary practices, on whatever level, directed against ‘refugees’, are primarily framed within a notion of threat and necessary compensation for potential freedoms. So long as this persists, policies of control per se will outweigh prevention. What we have in Eastern and Central Europe in terms of immediate impact of policies from the West is a shifting of the border Eastwards.

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