Refugee policies in the European Union : why do asylum recognition rates vary across member states? A case study of Bulgaria and Hungary

All European Union member states are parties to the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, however, there was a discrepancy in first instance asylum recognition rates from 9% in Hungary to 94% in Bulgaria in 2014. In a comparative case study of these two countries, it is investigated why there is such variance among recognition rates: do the applicants' claims' merits differ substantially in both countries or are do different circumstances in the destination countries account for the variance, or both, and to what extent?