Securitization of Migration during the EU Migration Crises of 2015 and 2022

The thesis paper is a comparison of two case studies, Hungary and France, which explores the effect of migration on the dynamics of securitisation in the EU from 2015 to 2022. The aim of the research was to identify if migration is becoming increasingly securitised in the EU as the number of immigrants in the region continues to rise. The goal was to trace patterns in the political discourse of public officials to identify tendencies in rising peception of insecurity and negative attitudes towards migrants. The proposed hypothesis was: how, if so, increasing levels of immigration affect the dynamics of securitisation of the issue in the EU from 2015 to 2022. The first chapter of the research looked at historical approach towards migration after the WWII and the behaviour of France and Hungary during the 2015 migration crisis in Europe. The second chapter was devoted to both quantitative and qualitative analysis of political discourse in both states to outline the dynamics of securitisation and perception of migration in the recent years. The findings indicated that, first, initial perception of migration of Hungary and France was correctly assumed. France expressed more positive attitude towards the issue and Hungary incorporated a more negative view. Second, the dynamics of securitisation in both stated was not as strong as expected, but showed a progressive tendency. As a result, the hypothesis only partially held true. Increasing levels of migration have a significant effect on the dynamics of securitisation of the issue in the EU from 2015 to 2022. In future studies, to be able to support or disprove the initial findings, it is recommended to expand the scope of the research. Further investigation could add new case studies of EU member states and more recent statistics to the analysis.