Inside Story

Is Libya the answer to the refugee crisis in Europe?

Hungarian prime minister proposes building a city for refugees on the Libyan coast.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has described the arrival of refugees in Europe as “poison” and criticised the European Union’s immigration policies.

So far, the 28 EU countries have failed to agree on how to deal with hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to reach northern Europe.

Orban has particularly attacked the open-door policy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He is also vehemently opposed to the EU’s mandatory quota system for countries to take a share of refugees.

The Hungarian government has built a razor-wired fence to keep refugees out.

Now Orban has a new idea and Libya is key.

Could the plan work?

Presenter: Martine Dennis

Guests:

Adam LeBor – Hungary correspondent, the Economist magazine

George Joffe – deputy director, Global Policy Institute, Cambridge University

Thom Brooks – head of law school, Durham University