Policy area: Civic engagement
Short description: Migszol is an informal, unregistered political grass roots organization. They critically monitor asylum-related policies in Hungary.
Quantitative evidence: With the majority of refugees and migrants originating from the Middle East and South Central Asia choosing the Balkan route, the first Member State of the European Union (EU) to reach was Hungary. In 2015, this country registered 177,135 asylum seekers in 2015, with another estimated (unregistered) 60,000-70,000 passing through its territory towards the west. For those who crossed into Hungary from Serbia before the border closed in September 2015, the first place that refugees reached was the county of Csongrád and its administrative centre, Szeged. Measures to help the arrivals were largely coordinated by a non-governmental and non-registered organization called MigSzol Szeged.