Romania

Hungary buys a lot of green energy, joining forces with four other countries

green energy hungary azerbaijan, georgia romania bulgaria

The future of the Hungarian economy and environmental protection lies in green energy, and the country has taken a major step towards meeting the goals related to it with broad international cooperation, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Budapest on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the management committee of the so-called green energy corridor, Péter Szijjártó said Hungary, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Bulgaria had signed a declaration of intent on cooperation on green energy which would see them coordinate their green strategies, developments and innovation via a shared platform.

The electricity companies of the five countries will set up a joint venture to manage the project’s technical and technological implementation, he told a joint press conference with the energy ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania and the deputy energy minister of Bulgaria, according to a ministry statement. Also, a tender will be called for a joint feasibility study, with the winning bidder to be decided early next month, he said.

The participating countries will also take joint steps to ensure that the financial resources for the project are in place, Szijjártó said, noting that the European Commission was also present at Tuesday’s meeting.

Amid the crises of recent years, Hungary has maintained its economic growth thanks to record investments, but the startups of new plants will also increase energy consumption, Szijjártó said.

Hungary aims to continue expanding its economy while reducing its harmful emissions, he said. Meeting this goal requires green energy, he said, adding that in the coming years electricity would become even more important in Hungary for transport, industry as well as heating and cooling technologies.

Electricity consumption in Hungary is set to rise by 50 percent by 2030, and the country plans to produce this electricity carbon-free, which is why it is expanding its nuclear and solar energy capacities, the minister said.

At the same time, Szijjártó said, it was important that the electricity Hungary imports also be carbon neutral, adding that the green energy corridor was key to this. “We’ve allied with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Bulgaria to import large volumes of green energy to Europe,” he said.

Azerbaijan and Georgia are undertaking huge investments in hydro and wind power, and central Europe has started developing its own infrastructure so that it can handle as much green energy imported from the South Caucasus as possible for consumption and being transported further west, Szijjarto said.

This project, he said, required linking Georgia and Romania with what would be the world’s longest, 1,100km submarine cable.

If all goes to plan, energy deliveries along this route can begin by the beginning of the next decade, he added.

In response to a question, Szijjártó said the project demonstrated that energy imports were a question of “physical reality rather than a political issue or a matter of dreams or desires”.

As regards the project’s financing by the European Union, Szijjártó said the matter was a European one and the infrastructure upgrades would require support.

As we wrote today, Hungarian-Kazakh Foreign Ministers held a meeting in Budapest, details HERE.

BREAKING: Romanian plane damaged during landing in Budapest, runway closed!

Tarom plane Budapest Airport accident

The tyres of a Romanian Tarom carrier aircraft were damaged on arrival from Bucharest at Budapest’s International Liszt Ferenc Airport on Sunday, the airport operator told MTI.

A spokesperson for Budapest Airport said the tyres were damaged when the plane left the runway and turned onto a taxi way, adding that nobody was injured. An investigation is under way into the possible causes of the incident.

Katalin Valentínyi, the Chief Corporate Communications and Government Relations Officer at Budapest Airport, said the Tarom ATR 72-600 aircraft was unable to move after the accident. She added that no injuries took place, and they would transfer the 71 passengers and four crew to the terminal with buses, telex.hu wrote.

She said the accident happened at 6.21 PM. Runway 2 will remain closed until 10 PM. All air traffic will be redirected to runway 1, portfolio.hu wrote.

Read also:

  • Many Wizz Air planes struggling with engine problems: timetables may change – Read more HERE

Featured image: illustration

Hungary and Romania sign key energy deals

péter szijjártó in romania

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Wednesday said he has signed important agreements with Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja that will allow Hungary to continue to rely on Romania’s cooperation in guaranteeing the country’s energy security.

Szijjártó said on Facebook that he and Burduja had agreed to increase the capacity of the interconnectors between their countries’ gas networks so that Hungary could access as much of the gas extracted from the Black Sea gas fields as possible.

Hungary and Romania will also begin preparations to link their electricity grids, Szijjártó said.

Meanwhile, the minister said Burduja had assured him that Hungary could continue to transport Russian nuclear fuel for its Paks plant through Romania.

Romania Schengen accession priority for Hungary, foreign minister says

szíjjártó and hunor kelemen

A major objective of Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of 2024 will be to move ahead Romania’s integration with the community’s borderless Schengen zone, unless progress is made on the matter before, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Bucharest on Wednesday, after talks with the leader of the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party.

The ministry said in a statement that after meeting Hunor Kelemen, Szijjártó highlighted the strategic importance of the two countries’ bilateral cooperation which he said rested on ethnic Hungarians living in Translyvania and Szekler Land.

The Hungarian government sees that community as a resource as well as a link in bilateral ties, Szijjártó said, pointing out the importance of listening to RMDSZ on issues concerning cooperation with Romania.

Romania’s earliest possible Schengen integration is in Hungary’s national interest, partly because the neighbouring country is Hungary’s second largest exports market, and bilateral economic and trade ties could be strengthened with its membership, the foreign minister said.

“Romania’s Schengen membership would allow that the border should connect rather than separate us,” Szijjártó said, noting that a potential “automatic” opening of ten new border crossings would also help the Transylvanian Hungarian community in maintaining relations with Hungary.

“Unless Romania’s Schengen integration materialises sooner, one of the major objectives of the Hungarian EU presidency will be to help the process and Hungary will continue to run the closest possible consultation with RMDSZ on the matter,” Szijjártó added.

He expressed hope for RMDSZ’s success at the four elections coming up in Romania next year. “RMDSZ’s strong representation in Bucharest is always helpful in developing Hungarian-Romanian relations,” Szijjártó said.

Read more news on Schengen:

  • Collapsing Schengen? Strict control at Hungarian Schengen border remains in effect longer – read more HERE.
  • Another neighbouring country hermetically closed Schengen border – details HERE.

Orbán to speak at funeral of Vojvodina Hungarians’ leader

Leader of Hungarians in Serbia István Pásztor

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will speak at the funeral of István Pásztor, head of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ), on Saturday, MTI reported.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Hunor Kelemen, leader of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), and Bálint Juhász, the head of VMSZ’s management committee, will also speak at the ceremony, Pásztor’s son, Balint Pásztor said on social media.

Pásztor died on Monday at the age of 67 after a short, serious illness. We wrote about it in detail HERE.

Read also:

Watch fires demanding the autonomy of Szeklerland in Romania

Watch fires lit demanding Szekler autonomy

Watch fires were lit on Sunday, Szekler Autonomy Day.

In Szeklerland, watch fires were lit in over 100 settlements to signal the region’s demand for territorial autonomy, Zoltán Gazda, who heads the Sepsi District chapter of the Szekler National Council said. Here is a map showing the settlements where the watch fires were lit today. The inscription says: “Territorial autonomy for Szeklerland!”

A manifesto signed by the president of the Szekler National Council, Balázs Izsák, was read aloud as the fires were lit after dark. In a statement issued earlier on Sunday by the state secretariat for policy concerning Hungarian communities abroad, Katalin Szili, an advisor to the prime minister, said Hungary supported the demand for self-administration of Hungarian communities beyond the country’s borders.

Read also:

  • Government supporting Szekler autonomy in Romania – Read more HERE
  • Romanian ambassador consulted over ‘disgraceful events’ at Transylvanian military cemetery – Details in THISarticle

Transylvania church rebuilt with support from Hungary

A Reformed church in Cecalaca (Csekelaka), Romania, rebuilt with support from the state of Hungary was inaugurated on Sunday. State secretary János Nagy said maintaining Hungarian identity meant holding on to one’s roots and Christian identity, not only in Transylvania but in Hungary, too.

Pastor András Ambrus said the tower of the congregation’s original church, consecrated in 1821, had started to sink, threatening the nave. The congregation got support from the Hungarian government to renovate the church on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, but a decision was taken to use the funding to build a new church instead, he added.

The more than 100 million forints (EUR 260,000) in support from the Hungarian government covered the largest part of the cost of the new church. Funding from the Romanian government paid for the church’s windows and doors.

Government supporting Szekler autonomy in Romania

Autonomy Szeklerland

Hungary has a constitutional responsibility for the fate of Hungarians living outside of the country’s borders, such as the Szeklers, the state secretary for Hungarian communities abroad said in the village of Tevel, in the southwest of Hungary, on Saturday.

Árpád János Potápi spoke as a watch fire was lit in solidarity on the eve of Szekler Autonomy Day.

The region is home to the Bukovina Szeklers, who migrated after a massacre by the Habsburg army from their home of Siculeni (Madéfalva) more than 250 years ago, eventually making their way to the south of Hungary.

Potapi, himself a descendant of the Bukovina Szeklers, noted that the Szekler National Council had decided in 2015 to celebrate Szekler Autonomy Day every year on the last Sunday of October.

The mayors of Tevel and of Siculeni, in Romania, also spoke at the event. Here are some photos:

Read also:

  • Hungarian autonomy commissioner to Romanians: “don’t believe your politicians!” – Read more HERE

Hungarian soldier from Transylvania killed in Ukraine

A Hungarian national from Arad tragically lost his life in the war in Ukraine.

Rudolf Wittman, aged 27, had previously served in the French Foreign Legion and voluntarily joined the war in Ukraine last year.

As reported by chronika.ro, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the Ukrainian authorities informed Bucharest regarding the passing of a Romanian national in Ukraine.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry also stated that the personnel of the Romanian Consulate General in Chernyivci will provide assistance in the repatriation of Rudolf Wittmann’s remains. He is the first Romanian citizen to have lost his life in Ukraine.

According to reports from Romania, approximately 1,500 soldiers of Romanian nationality have been involved in the Ukrainian army since the onset of the conflict.

Romanian ambassador consulted over ‘disgraceful events’ at Transylvanian military cemetery

Romanian extremists Hungarians, go home to Mongolia

A foreign ministry official has held consultations with Romania’s ambassador to Budapest regarding “disgraceful” events at Valea Uzului (Úzvölgy) military cemetery in Szeklerland, and the diplomat promised to take appropriate action.

Levente Magyar, parliamentary state secretary of the foreign ministry, referred to Romanian extremists who last weekend vandalised and held picnics on the graves of first world war Hungarian soldiers (read our report HERE).

He said the Romanian authorities had been “passive observers of these disgraceful events”.

The Hungarian official also noted a final court ruling issued in the summer that ordered the removal of illegally placed concrete crosses.

He discussed these issues with the Romanian ambassador on Tuesday, and they agreed that the relevant authorities should agree on a long-term solution.

Magyar referred to an “open wound in bilateral relations”. But Hungary wants to focus instead on how the two countries can be better connected with roads and railway lines and help Romania join the Schengen agreement, he said.

Magyar said the issue hurt bilateral relations and trampled on basic human values.

Read also:

Romanian extremists: Hungarians, go home to Mongolia! – PHOTOS, VIDEOS

Romanian extremists Hungarians, go home to Mongolia

Romanian nationalist organisations protested against Hungary and Hungarians in the Úzvölgye cemetery, where they claim Romanian soldiers rest. Even though the Romanian defence ministry said there were no Romanian soldiers buried in the cemetery in 2019, they scolded the Hungarians, the Jews, and the migrants.

According to index.hu, two Romanian extremist organisations commemorated the Day of the Romanian Army (25 October) three days earlier in the cemetery of the unpopulated Úzvölgye. Members of the Nation’s Way (Calea Neamului) and the Orthodoxian Brotherhood (Fratia Ortodoxa) swarmed the cemetery, painted some wood crosses, hoisted a Romanian flag, and put out some Romanian inscriptions on small plates saying that there were Romanian heroes.

According to local newspapers, people came from Bucharest and Moldovan counties by bus. Thus, it was an organised “trip”, not something spontaneous. There were a lot of police officers, but there were no disorders because nobody was there apart from the “protestors”.

Romanian extremists verbally attacked the Hungarian community

The partakers verbally attacked the Hungarian community, saying they should go home to Mongolia and that Hungary is no longer on the map of Europe. Furthermore, they expressed that the barbaric Hungarians arrived in the Carpathian Basin only in 1290 instead of 895-896, the time of the Conquest of the Carpathian Basin by Árpád and the seven Hungarian tribes. Furthermore, the extremists highlighted that Transylvania was entirely Romanian soil (despite the more than one million Hungarians living there).

The 200 “protestors” said Romania belonged to Romanians and should remain their homeland instead of a place where foreign migrants come. Furthermore, Romanian schools should not teach about the History of the Jews or the Holocaust. They believe the students should hear about Romania’s history there.

Here are some photos and videos:

The plate, the cross and the flag:

Here is how they painted the newly placed crosses there, commemorating the Romanian soldiers not buried there:

Read also:

Hungary left behind – We are to be taken over by Bulgaria as well

bulgaria flag

Global economic growth is set to slow this year and next, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest economic forecast. As we reported, Romania has already overtaken Hungary in terms of GDP. It seems that not only Romania but also Bulgaria will do better than Hungary this year.

Economic fall of the V4 countries

According to the IMF’s latest forecast, global economic growth could fall from 3.5% in 2022 to 3.0% this year and 2.9% in 2024. This is well below the historic peak of 3.8% last recorded in 2019, Pénzcentrum reports. How can Hungary and the countries in the region perform? The Hungarian economic news portal has investigated this question.

According to the IMF data, while last year the V4 countries had a relatively buoyant economic growth rate of between 1.5 and 4.6%, this year it is a very modest -0.3-1.3%. Sadly, there is little prospect of a return to the previous pace in the near future, with the IMF forecasting an expansion intensity of between 2.3 and 3.1% in 2024. Hungary and Poland are likely to be hit hardest by the slowdown, as these two countries saw their economic growth rates fall the most between 2022 and 2023.

Romania, Bulgaria far from recession

As we reported, Romania has taken over Hungary in terms of GDP. Romania’s economy grew by 4.7% last year and the IMF forecasts a 2.2% increase this year. Meanwhile, in 2024 the economy of the country could grow by 3.8 percent overall. This means that Romania will be far from the recession that Hungary is likely to sink into this year.

The Bulgarian economy is also far from recession. In 2022, it grew by 3.4%, and this year, it is forecast to grow by 1.7 percent. In 2024, the growth is expected to be 3.2 percent, which is also higher than in Hungary.

There’s no reaching Austria

“Forget about catching up with Austria! The goal is to avoid being left behind Romania.” This is one of the ways Zsolt Balásy summed up the crisis period of the Hungarian economy. The analyst of Hold Alapkezelő (Hold Fund Management) told Pénzcentrum that it is worrying that we have failed badly in the economic stress test of recent years. He added that this is not only worsening the country’s prospects in the short term.

According to the expert, we are now on the Serbian path instead of the EU integration path. This almost guarantees that the economic prosperity of the 2010s will not return.

Read also:

Unfortunately, it is not only the economy that is experiencing a falling trend in Hungary. The country’s main railway company, MÁV, is not at the top of the situation either: The entire Budapest-Vienna railway line will be closed: chaos will reign?

Romania ahead of Hungary in terms of GDP, recession inevitable this year

Hungarian economy GDP

For a brief period this spring, Romania has surpassed Hungary in terms of GDP. However, six months later, our neighbouring country has once again surged ahead of us, signalling Hungary’s falling position in the region. Additionally, experts are forecasting an inevitable recession for this year. Is there a chance for GDP growth next year? We’ll examine this pressing question in our article. 

Romania leads Hungary in GDP

Portfolio reported that Eurostat revised the EU GDP per capita statistics on the 11th of October. Romania briefly surpassed Hungary’s GDP performance this spring, but now, six months later, the neighbouring country boasts better statistics again. Hungary’s GDP capita stands at 76.6% of the EU average, while Romania performed slightly better at 76.7%. Although Hungary has been gradually closing the gap with the EU average, Romania has demonstrated significantly faster development, being 2.5 times as efficient as Hungary in this regard.

Hungary lags behind regionally

Examining the past decade, Hungary ranks 11th in the list of countries with the fastest convergence. Unfortunately, most of the countries preceding Hungary on the list are regional competitors. While Hungary’s performance is improving and approaching the EU average step by step, its regional performance is deteriorating. According to the latest GDP per capita statistics, only Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia, Greece and Bulgaria have weaker performance than Hungary. However, Lithuania and Croatia could soon surpass Hungary in terms of development rate.

Inevitable recession

Világgazdaság reports a gloomy outlook for Hungary’s performance in 2023. Experts believe that the chances of Hungary avoiding a recession this year are slim. Gábor Regős, Professional Manager of Makronóm Institution, stated:

“Avoiding a recession this year would require a miracle.”

Analysts predict a decline of 0.9% by some, while others  anticipate a 0.3% drop in 2023. Thus, all agree that Hungary is likely to end the year in a recession. The only hope lies in significant growth in the third and fourth quarters, though there are no signs of substantial development in the third quarter at the moment. Next year appears more promising according to experts and analysts, with most forecasting a growth of 3%, and some optimistic predictions reaching 4%.

Read also:

Hungarian President talks war in Israel, Ukraine with Romanian counterpart

Novák Romania

President Katalin Novák and Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday discussed the wars in Ukraine and Israel, as well as Romania’s Schengen accession process.

Other topics on the meeting’s agenda in Sándor Palace in Budapest included national minorities, Hungary’s 2024 EU presidency, and economic, energy and transport ties, Novák told a press conference afterwards.

“The situation of national minorities is important to both of us, and to us, Hungarians, the fate, present and future of the Hungarian community in Transylvania is especially important…” Novák said.

The last time a Romanian head of state paid an official visit to Hungary was 14 years ago, she noted. “So today’s meeting is of historic significance,” she added.

The president said the aim was to pursue pragmatic Hungary-Romania relations worthy of important neighbouring countries.

Hungary and Romania have both made their stances on the war in Ukraine clear, noting that they condemned Russia’s aggression against its neighbour and strived to aid Ukraine in its defence. Hungary provides all the necessary humanitarian aid to those fleeing Ukraine, she noted.

Ukraine is home to a significant number of both Hungarian and Romanian national minorities, Novák said, adding that they were counting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s cooperation in remedying the violations against minority rights and in doing everything possible to enforce those rights.

Concerning the war in Israel, Novák said Hungary has expressed its sympathies and support to Israel “in this tragic situation”. The president added that she will attend a worship service organised by the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (MAZSIHISZ) and Budapest’s Jewish Community.

Novák said she and Iohannis were in agreement that support for the local Hungarian community contributes to Romania’s development, and that the easing of tensions was therefore a shared interest.

Romania’s place is in the Schengen area, the president said, calling it “unfair” that the country had not yet been allowed to join the European Union’s passport-free zone. Hungary assures Romania of its continued support, she said, adding that there was no need for a Schengen border between the two countries.

As regards Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, Novák said the country wanted to achieve results when it came to the integration of the Western Balkan countries, and the management of the demographic crisis would also be a priority.

Meanwhile, Novák said economic ties between Hungary and Romania were flourishing. Romanian exports to Hungary have seen a 1.5-fold increase, while the number of border crossings between the two countries has increased to 14, she said, adding that there was more untapped potential in bilateral economic relations.

Concerning energy, she said Hungary was working to diversify its energy sources, in which it was counting on Romania. She said she and Iohannis agreed to boost bilateral energy ties as well.

In response to a question, Novák said Hungary condemns the terrorist attack against Israel and aimed to do everything possible to prevent an escalation of the conflict. More and more armed conflicts of unprecedented intensity are breaking out across the globe and many world leaders are working to prevent this from escalating into a third world war, she said, adding that wise and sound decisions were needed.

Huge thermal spa to be built on the Hungarian-Romanian border

siofok spa

A major investment is under construction to develop the Oradea spa. A thermal bath is now being added to the 7-year old water park.

A public consultation on the new spa has already been launched. According to the municipality, the new spa would be built on the site of the existing beach in 2 years. The investment would be financed by EU money.

This is no competition for the Nymphaea Spa, which has been operating in the city for 7 years. The unparalleled spa is a perfect place to relax and unwind in Oradea, Romania.

The project, which is close to the Hungarian border, will include indoor and outdoor pools, a sunbathing area, a wellness area, a fitness room and a garden with Mediterranean plants. The new spa is planned to occupy two thirds of the available space. However, the beach area will remain, reports termalonline.hu.

A car park with 150 parking spaces will also be added. Famous for its Art Nouveau palaces and thermal springs, the Romanian city was declared a national tourist destination in 2020. The spa, which is close to the Hungarian border, will be completed in two years.

Wizz Air to have its largest base in this Eastern European city

Wizz Air Hungarian airline

Wizz Air has more than twice as many aircraft based in Romania as in Hungary. In fact, the Hungarian low-cost carrier’s biggest base will be in Bucharest from next June.

From June 2024, Wizz Air will send two more Airbus A321neo aircraft to Bucharest. This will make the Romanian capital the largest base for the Hungarian-backed low-cost carrier, Romania Insider reports. Wizz is already the market leader in Romania by the number of passengers carried.

Wizz Air will start flights to Leipzig next summer, bringing to 21 the number of routes from Bucharest, where it has 19 aircraft. In Hungary, 14 aircraft are parked in Budapest and one in Debrecen. Meanwhile, in Romania, a total of 36 aircraft are parked at one of the six bases, Mandiner writes based on Romania Insider.

Another good news is that the company has opened a logistics centre in Bucharest. This means that it no longer has to transport parts from Poland for maintenance.

Wizz Air aims to be Romania’s “national airline”

Earlier, Romania complained to the European Aviation Safety Agency against the Hungarian low-cost carrier for cancelling nine flights in one day for technical reasons (read details HERE). József Váradi, the low-cost carrier’s CEO, told a press conference on Tuesday that the company had had to pay out almost EUR 100 million in compensation for the cancellations during the summer months, according to a report of Krónika.

“Of course, we have no intention of cancelling flights, but if we have to do so, we will comply with European regulations and compensate passengers. We appreciate and respect their rights,”

the Wizz Air CEO said. However, he added that Wizz did not cancel any of its Romania flights in September.

A year ago, József Váradi once said that they wanted to become Romania’s national airline. Today, they are the absolute market leader in the country, with a current market share of 54%.

Serious difficulties in store for Wizz

Despite no cancelled flights in September, it will not be an easy time for Wizz. The temporary loss of aircraft due to engine overhauls will result in a capacity reduction of around 10% for the airline. We wrote about this in detail HERE.

Read also:

Drunk Romanian man smashes Wizz plane door, 224 passengers stranded at airport

Wizz Air Romania EU

224 passengers were stranded at Zaragoza airport in Spain after a drunk Romanian man started pulling on the Wizz Air plane door before take-off and broke it. As a result, passengers on their way to Bucharest were taken off the plane and had to wait for the door to be repaired.

A Romanian citizen who drunkenly boarded a WizzAir flight from Zaragoza (Spain) to Bucharest broke the door of the aircraft of the Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, causing a delay of several hours, gandul.ro reports. As a result of the incident, the 224 passengers had to get off the plane and wait until they could take off.

The incident took place on Saturday, 30 September, at 09:15 local time. The Romanian man got on the plane drunk and tried to open the door before take-off. He pulled so hard on it he eventually broke the door. Because of this, the aircraft was unable to take off and passengers had no choice but to wait for several hours until the problem was solved.

Shortly after, airport officials called the police to handle the situation, elmundo.es reports. Law enforcement officers helped evacuate and transfer passengers.

According to the source, passengers were not able to leave Zaragoza until 23.00. They then departed on another plane. However, because the second aircraft was smaller than the first, 50 passengers had to stay in Zaragoza due to lack of space.

Read more Wizz news here:

Hungary, Moldova archives sign cooperation agreement

ABTL

The Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security Services (ABTL) and the National Archives Agency of the Republic of Moldova (ANA) signed a cooperation agreement on document exchange in Budapest on Wednesday.

ABTL director Gergő Bendegúz Cseh said after the signing event that the Hungarian agency would make available documents with content on Russia to ANA under the agreement. In exchange, ABTL will receive copies of documents concerning Hungarian citizens and victims with Hungarian nationality, he added.

Hungarian State Security document files are incomplete but archives in many neighbouring countries and Russia store many documents on Hungarian citizens or Hungarians beyond the borders, he said.

Previously, agreements were signed with archives in Romania, Ukraine, and Russia.

Preliminary research showed that many documents are available in the Moldovan archives about thousands of Hungarians who were deported or taken prisoners of war in 1944-45.

Romanians point the finger at Hungarians after UEFA penalty

Romania soccer

A few days ago, a European Championship qualifier between Romania and Kosovo was interrupted by Romanian fans chanting “Kosovo Serbia” as the visiting players walked off the pitch. UEFA has fined Romania for pointing the finger at Hungary.

Match abandoned

Romania was hosting Kosovo, but tempers flared and the match was abandoned for 50 minutes.

From the start of the match, Romanian supporters threw flares at the Kosovo goal and chanted slogans denigrating the country, such as Kosovo Serbia. The referee stopped the match and the game was paused for 50 minutes, hvg.hu reports.

UEFA fines, Romanian fans blame Hungarians

The Romanian Football Federation condemned the incident and said it was looking for those responsible. UEFA has also launched an investigation and the Romanians face disciplinary action and fines.

The Romanian press published an article claiming that UEFA had acted unfairly against them. According to them, the Hungarians did not get anything for a much more serious provocation. At the match between Hungary and Estonia in March, fans displayed a banner depicting Greater Hungary.

The case is unacceptable to several Romanian public figures and they claim UEFA is using double standards. “The map of Greater Hungary, which includes part of Romania, is a revisionist symbol and has no place in stadiums and European matches,” writes Gabriela Firea, the Social Democrat Minister for Family Affairs.

The Romanian press notes that the Hungarians did not receive any penalty for the hate symbol, while Romania could receive a match penalty, index.hu writes.