A comparative study of German and Hungarian responses to the migration crisis in the absence of a common European policy

In 2015, an unprecedented number of refugees, fleeing from war and persecution in Syria, reached to Europe to claim asylum. Once the number of irregular crossings exceeded one million, it became a migration crisis for the European Union. In response, the EU attempted to find solutions at institutional level in order to tackle with the crisis. Yet, the EU was not able to form a single voice in the absence of a common migration policy which deepened the diverging preferences of the member states. This thesis argues that Germany and Hungary differed at the fundamental level in their responses to the migration crisis. During the migration crisis, Germany adopted open and welcoming approach towards immigrants whereas Hungary internalized anti-immigrant and xenophobic stance. This thesis analyzes the rhetoric and policies of the leaders of two EU member states and compares their migration history and economic strength while examining how Germany and Hungary differed in the absence of a common European policy on migration. By using the theories of Neofunctionalism and Liberal Intergovernmentalism, this thesis aimed to examine the EU’s response to the migration crisis at institutional and intergovernmental levels. While Neofunctionalism theory explains the role of EU institutions in common policy-making, Liberal Intergovernmentalism underlines the role of member states’ diverging preferences in decision making procedure at the EU-leve