menekültügyi

Menekültügyi is the field of public policy and administration that deals with refugees and asylum seekers. In Hungarian usage, it encompasses the legal, administrative, and practical aspects of how a state receives, assesses, protects, and, when necessary, returns individuals who request international protection. The term covers legislation, government agencies, and operational procedures related to asylum applications, refugee status determination, and the provision of reception, protection, and integration measures.

International and regional law forms the core of menekültügyi. States are bound by the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which establish the principle of non-refoulement and define refugee status. Regional instruments, including the European Union's asylum acquis, shape how procedures are harmonized, how responsibility for claims is allocated, and how forms of protection such as refugee status or subsidiary protection are granted.

National frameworks typically include: reception facilities for asylum seekers; procedures for submitting and processing asylum claims; legal aid and access to counsel; examinations by competent authorities; decisions on protection status; and programs for integration, such as language training and access to education and employment. They may also cover temporary protection or relocation schemes during large displacement events, and rules on detention or protection for vulnerable groups.

Common challenges in menekültügyi include processing backlogs, ensuring access to due process, upholding the principle of non-refoulement, coordinating with other immigration and criminal law policies, and addressing humanitarian needs amid crises. The field is evolving as international norms and political contexts shift.