Budapest Process

This page contains general information about the Budapest Process but it is not its official website. For official information about the Budapest Process please visit its official website at https://www.budapestprocess.org.

Type: Interregional forum on migration (regions covered: Europe and Asia)

Established: 1993

Objectives

The Budapest Process is an interregional dialogue on migration stretching from Europe to the Silk Routes region - also covering Europe's Eastern neighbors, the Western Balkans and Central Asia. It includes over 50 governments and numerous international organizations. During its more than 25 years of operation, the Budapest Process has developed from an information sharing tool between European countries in a pre-EU enlargement setting to a far-reaching European-Asian forum for improving migration management. It is chaired by Turkey and co-chaired by Hungary since 2006. The International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) hosts the Budapest Process Secretariat.The Budapest Process is managed through annual Senior Officials Meetings gathering all participating states. In addition, its geographic working group structure gives interested states in certain sub-regions an additional platform to discuss migration and related matters.

Current focus

In February 2019, close to 40 Budapest Process participating countries in the presence of the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship and representatives of relevant organizations adopted “The Istanbul Commitments on the Silk Routes Partnership for Migration and its Call for Action - a five year plan ”applying five key commitments to:

• Partnership
• Comprehensive migration governance
• Respect, protect and fulfill international human rights and fundamental freedoms
• Support and solidarity
• Knowledge

Ministers agreed to take concerted action to endorse and implement the five-year plan “a Call for Action” which lists 41 actions following the six priority goals of the 2013 Istanbul Ministerial Declaration to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration:

1. Prevent and counteract irregular migration, facilitating return and readmission of irregular migrants
2. Better organize and improve conditions for legal migration and mobility
3. Support the integration of migrants and counteract phenomena of discrimination, racism and xenophobia
4. Strengthen the positive impact of migration on development
5. Prevent and combat trafficking in persons
6. Promote international protection

In line with the Implementation Plan endorsed by Senior Officials at the end of 2019, the Budapest Process' focus in 2020 and 2021 is on irregular migration and labor migration.

 

Chairing country

Budapest Process has a permanent chair.
Chair: Türkiye
Co-Chair: Hungary

 

Members

Member States [Referred by the Budapest Process as “Participating States”] (51 States)

• Albania
• Afghanistan
• Armenia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iraq
• Ireland
• Italy
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Netherlands, The
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Pakistan
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Tajikistan
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan

Note: Founding States: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Soviet Union, Spain , Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Belarus and Yugoslavia. 

Observers

Observer States (7 States)

Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, India, Iran, United States of America

 

Observer Agencies

• European Institutions
• Council of Europe
• European Union Agency for Asylum EUAA
• European Commission
• European External Action Service EEAS
• General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
• European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex

International Organisations

• International Centre for Migration Policy Development ICMPD
• International Labour Organisation ILO
• International Organization for Migration IOM
• United Nations Development Programme UNDP
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE
• Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation BSEC
• Economic Cooperation Organization ECO

Regional Processes and Initiatives

• Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (ISCM)
• Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative MARRI

Selected Meetings

• November 12, 2024, Budapest, Hungary, 7th Ministerial Conference of the Budapest Process 
• November 11, 2024, Budapest, Hungary, 36th Senior Officials Meeting 
• October 14, 2024, Virtual Event, 35th Senior Officials Meeting and Preparatory Meeting for the 7th Ministerial Conference
• June 27, 2024, Stockholm, Sweden, 34th Senior Officials Meeting
• June 26, 2024, Stockholm, Sweden, 10th Reference Group Meeting
• May 7-8, 2024, Istanbul, Türkiye, Thematic Working Group Meeting on Legal Pathways for Migration: Understanding Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities for Improving Labour Migration
• December 5, 2023, Istanbul, Türkiye, Senior Officials Meeting; 1st Preparatory Meeting for the 7th Ministerial Conference; and celebration of Budapest Process 30 years Anniversary
• December 4, 2023, Istanbul, Türkiye, 7th Meeting of the Reference Group
• October 5-6, 2023, Sofia, Bulgaria, The 4th Meeting of Community of Law Enforcement Practitioners (COLEP) 
• October 4-5, 2023, Sofia, Bulgaria, Thematic Meeting on Integrated Border Management with a focus on the Silk Routes
• June 1, 2023, Istanbul, Türkiye, 6th Reference Group Meeting
• May 31, 2023, Istanbul, Türkiye, Thematic Working Group Meeting on Return and Reintegration 
• May 4, 2023, Virtual event, 3rd Meeting of Community of Law Enforcement Practitioners (COLEP)  
• December 1, 2022, Istanbul, Turkey, Senior Officials Meeting
• November 30, 2022, Istanbul, Turkey, 5th Meeting of the Reference Group
• May 19-20, 2022, Ohrid, Macedonia, Joint Meeting of Budapest Process’ Regional Working Groups for Silk Routes Region and South-East European Region
• April 26, 2022, Istanbul, Turkey, 4th Meeting of Reference Group
• December 2-3, 2021, Hybrid Event (Online and Azerbaijan), Senior Officials Meeting
• July 13, 2021, Virtual Event, Consultation of the Reference Group
• May 26, 2021, Virtual Event, Inaugural meeting of the Budapest Process Reference Group
• December 2, 2020, Virtual Event, Senior Officials Meeting
• November 13, 2020, Virtual Event, Group Discussion with the South East European Region Working Group
• November 3, 2020, Virtual Event, Thematic Meeting on Labor Migration
• September 30, 2020, Virtual Event , Webinar on understanding how migration narratives shape public perceptions and attitudes towards migration
• June 30, 2020, Virtual Event,  Webinar meeting on irregular migration in the current COVID19 pandemic
• May 14, 2020, Virtual Event,  Group discussion meeting with selected BP countries on labor migration in the current COVID 19 pandemic
• March 3-4, 2020, Budapest, Hungary,  Thematic meeting on sustainable return and reintegration in the Silk Routes region: best practices and lessons learned
• December 4- 5, 2019, Istanbul, Turkey, Senior Officials Meeting
• October 9-10, 2019, Skopje, North Macedonia, Joint Meeting of the Three Regional Working Groups
• February 19-20, 2019, Istanbul, Turkey, 6th Ministerial Conference of the Budapest Process
• November 19-20, 2018, Istanbul, Turkey, Senior Officials Meeting (Third Preparatory Meeting for the 6th Budapest Process Ministerial Conference).
• May 7-8, 2018, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Joint Meeting of the Silk Routes and South East European Working Groups on Return and Reintegration
• April 16-17, 2018, Istanbul, Turkey, Senior Officials Meeting (Second Preparatory Meeting for the 6th Budapest Process Ministerial Conference).
• December 14-15, 2017, Sofia, Bulgaria, Joint meeting of the Silk Routes and the Black Sea Working Groups on Return and Reintegration.
• November 27-28, 2017, Istanbul, Turkey, Senior Officials Meeting (First Preparatory Meeting for the 6th Budapest Process Ministerial Conference).
• September 20-21, 2017, Ankara, Turkey, Drafting Group Meeting for the Ministerial Conference in 2018.
• March 2, 2017, Istanbul, Turkey, Consultation Meeting “Ministerial Conference 2018 and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration”.
• December 15, 2016, Antalya, Turkey, 24th Senior Officials Meeting, Conclusions EN
• 9th Silk Routes Working Group Meeting (Integration and Re-integration)
• October 18-19, 2016, Belgrade, Serbia, May 18-19, 2016, Tehran, Iran, 8th Silk Routes Working Group Meeting (International Protection of Refugees)
• December 14- 15, 2015, Budapest, Hungary, 24th Senior Officials 'Meeting
• December 16, 2014, Istanbul, Turkey, 22nd Senior Officials' Meeting
• April 19, 2013, Istanbul, Turkey, 5th Ministerial Conference [ Istanbul Ministerial Declaration Silk Routes Partnership EN ]
• June 26 , 2003, Rhodes, Greece, 4th Ministerial Conference [ Final recommendations of the Rhodes Ministerial Conference EN]
• October 15, 1997, Prague, Czech Republic, 3rd Ministerial Conference [Final recommendations of the Prague Ministerial Conference En]
• February 16, 1993, Budapest, Hungary, 2nd Ministerial conference, [ Final recommendations of the Budapest Ministerial Conference En ]
• October 31, 1991 , Berlin, Germany, 1st Ministerial conference [ Final recommendations of the Berlin Ministerial Conference En ]

For more information, please see "Budapest Process Events".

Selected Documents

• 32nd Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) 2022 - Summary [EN ]
• Istanbul Commitments on the Silk Routes Partnership for Migration and its Call for Action
• 25 Years Budapest Process
• 20 Years Budapest Process
• Istanbul Ministerial Declaration on a Silk Routes Partnership for Migration [ en ]

For more documents, please see "Budapest Process Documents"

Contact Information

 

Website
http: // www.budapestprocess.org

Related Links

• Inter-State Consultation Mechanisms on Migration
• Inter-Regional Forums on Migration (IRFs)
• Regional consultative processes on migration (RCPs)
• Global Processes on Migration
• Online Repository of ISCM Materials
• Global ISCM Meeting (GRCP)
• ISCMs, Policy Dialogue on Migration and Migration Governance