ethnic

Orbán cabinet: Stability in Romania key to ethnic Hungarians’ well-being

kelemen hunor rmdsz romania

Hungary’s interest lies in Romania having a stable government, the constant development of bilateral ties and the situation of ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania improving, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Facebook on Monday.

Szijjarto said the strong showing in the Romanian general election by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) had provided an “excellent basis” for the party again to be part of the government coalition in Bucharest.

He said experience had shown that it was easier for Hungary to work with a Romanian government that included RMDSZ. “It always made it easier to achieve results that are important to both countries and both nations,” he said. “We are prepared to work together this time as well, and we wish RMDSZ and the new Romanian government coalition much success,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said Barna Tánczos and Attila Cseke, who will again serve as ministers in the new government, had rightfully earned recognition during their previous tenures as ministers, adding that Hungary was “confident that they will do an excellent job this time as well”.

Marcel Ciolacu, President of the PSD, was nominated as Prime Minister on Monday by Klaus Iohannis. The head of state said that the pro-European coalition had nominated Ciolcu as head of government, and he accepted.

Reaction of the President of the RMDSZ

The coalition of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), RMDSZ and a faction of national minorities aims to regain the trust of citizens, Hunor Kelemen said on Monday after the parties’ representatives signed the political agreement.

“We are aware that we are in a deep political crisis. This is also a crisis of trust, and the aim of this coalition is to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people, because this is the most important thing, without which we cannot get out of the political crisis and implement the necessary reforms, from which all communities, all people will benefit. That is why we have entered into this coalition, and the RMDSZ has signed the agreement,” the President of the RMDSZ said.

He added that a very well-constructed and balanced 2025 budget should be adopted as soon as possible after the winter holidays and that the elections for the president of the state should be organised as soon as possible, preferably before Easter.

read also: Are Romania and Bulgaria ahead of Hungary in adopting the euro?

A surge of Ukrainian refugees: the disappearing Hungarian identity in Transcarpathia

Ungvár uzhhorod transcarpathia

The Hungarian community in Uzhhorod (Ungvár), Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja), has been shrinking, and the consequences of this demographic shift are becoming increasingly evident. Amid the war and internal migration within Ukraine, the city’s population has surged, but the Hungarian majority that once defined it is now in decline. While new arrivals, mostly from other parts of Ukraine, are shaping the city’s future, the disappearance of the Hungarian identity remains a growing concern.

According to Mandiner’s report, Transcarpathia, Ukraine’s only region that has maintained a stable population since the war’s onset, now faces dramatic demographic shifts. While Ukraine’s overall population has plummeted to an estimated 20-25 million, half of the population that existed during the post-Soviet era, Transcarpathia’s population holds steady at around 1.25 million. However, 250,000 internally displaced Ukrainians have added to this total, significantly altering the region’s social and cultural makeup, with many Hungarians among those fleeing the conflict.

uzhhorod ungvár ukraine hungarians
A man enters the polling booth during the European Parliamentary (EP) elections at the Hungarian Consulate General in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, 9 June 2024. Photo: MTI/Nemes János

Housing shortage, sky-high rental prices in Transcarpathia

Uzhhorod, once a city of 120,000, has grown substantially, with estimates now putting its population at around 200,000, according to György Dunda, newspaper director of Kárpáti Igaz Szó. Many of the new residents are internal refugees from other parts of Ukraine, particularly Lviv, Kyiv, and Odessa, who have made their way to Transcarpathia’s larger cities. The influx of refugees has led to a severe housing shortage in Uzhhorod, pushing rental prices sky-high. Pre-war, one could rent an apartment for UAH 3,700 to 8,500 (EUR 85 to 193); today, rents have surged to levels comparable with those in major Ukrainian cities and even Budapest, making it unaffordable for locals.

This migration has also fueled an unprecedented building boom. Investors from eastern Ukraine, many of whom are Russian-speaking, have been behind much of the construction. Uzhhorod’s infrastructure, however, has not kept pace with the rapid population increase, resulting in severe traffic congestion, which is now at the level of larger Ukrainian cities. The influx of newcomers, including wealthy individuals from other regions, has significantly impacted the local economy, with high demand for both housing and luxury items.

Is Hungarian identity being erased?

The debate over the motivations behind this demographic shift is complex. Some see the construction boom as an opportunity for outside investors, including Arab financiers, who have found business opportunities in the region, as mentioned by György Dunda. Others suggest that state-backed programs are pushing for a form of population replacement in Uzhhorod, erasing the Hungarian identity that once dominated the area. Local opinion is divided, with many fearing that the presence of Ukrainian-speaking migrants, particularly from central Ukraine, is changing the cultural landscape of the region.

The situation is particularly worrying for the Hungarian community, as their numbers continue to dwindle. In what was once a Hungarian-majority area, the shift in demographics is leading to a feeling of alienation. Local Hungarians, who are already in the minority, now find themselves grappling with a rapidly changing environment. This transformation, driven by migration and state-supported development, raises questions about the future of Transcarpathia’s Hungarian community. As Dunda remarked, Kárpátalja will never be the same as it was before 2022.

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Source: depositphotos.com

Hungarian deputy PM: ‘Hungary became a world nation’

The Hungarian nation “has become a world nation”, and the Hungarian government sees that as an opportunity, Zsolt Semjén, the deputy prime minister, told the 13th session of the Hungarian Diaspora Council in Budapest on Wednesday.

Semjén: Hungary a world nation

Semjén said Hungarians were present all over the world. “Our task is to turn challenges into opportunities, therefore we consider it a kind of opportunity that Hungarians have become a world nation.” He said the Hungarian diaspora was a “bridgehead” for Hungary in terms of culture, the economy, and “in all other areas of life.”

zsolt semjén hungary world nation
Photo: Facebook/Semjén Zsolt

Funding earmarked for policies for Hungarians across the borders has grown more than tenfold since 2010, Semjén said.

The Hungarian government is supporting 5,500 ethnic Hungarian organisations, while a total of 9,300 projects involving ethnic Hungarian communities have been completed, Semjén said. Hungary has assisted in the reconstruction or rebuilding of 3,700 churches as well as 1,000 kindergartens and creches outside the country, he said. Some 230,000 children enrolled in Hungarian schools across the borders receive a 100,000 forint (EUR 245) grant every year from Hungary’s government, he said.

Within the government’s “Beyond the Borders” programme, some 530,000 children have travelled abroad to areas with large Hungarian communities. This year, 52,000 students will receive the same support, he added. Hungarian students across the borders will also receive assistance in visiting Hungary or other countries with ethnic Hungarians, he said.

Semjén said he saw Israel’s policy regarding diasporas as an example. “Wherever a Jewish person may live in the world, they can always go home to Israel if they feel they are in danger. Hungary is a country where all Hungarians, no matter where they live in the world, can return to if they feel they are in trouble or their lives are threatened,” he said.

“The meaning and aim of Hungary” was to ensure that the quality of life of all Hungarians was improved, that the nation was preserved and that the country was homeland to all Hungarians, Semjén said.

The deputy prime minister said Hungarians in the home country, in the Carpathian Basin and the diaspora “are the legs the country rests on”. Should any of those “three legs” fall out, “the whole chair will fall apart”. “We are committed to preserving all parts of the Hungarian nation in its entirety, and one of the tools of that is the Diaspora Council,” he said.

The government “is running a detailed, well-working … system and has expanded all support it could to Hungarians across the borders,” he said, pointing to support for mothers and neonatal bonds.

He said he saw the “legal unification of the nation through the citizenship law” as a “personal life goal”. So far, 1.2 million Hungarians have taken up the citizenship, he said.

Regarding support for Transcarpathian Hungarians, Semjén said Hungary was on the side of peace. “Let there be a fair peace, but one of the basic requirements of that is ensuring the rights of minorities.”

He also thanked diaspora Hungarians for their “faithfulness to the nation”, and for standing up for “the Hungarian cause”. “Just like we can count on you, you can count on us,” he said.

Lőrinc Nacsa, the state secretary for Hungarians across the borders, said the meeting has drawn Hungarians from 30 countries.

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According to FM Szijjártó, there is no threat to Hungarian minority language rights in Slovakia

Dialogue between Hungary and Slovakia on Slovakia’s planned language law is constant at every level, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Thursday, adding that Bratislava had made it clear that it does not want to restrict minority language use.

The policy for Hungarian communities abroad is one of the heartfelt priorities of Hungary’s foreign policy, Szijjártó told a joint press conference with Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár, according to a ministry statement. He added that the government attached great importance to the fate of Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarian community.

Concerning Slovakia’s planned state language law, Szijjártó said the country’s most senior officials had made it clear “that they do not wish to restrict minority language-use rights”. He hailed bilateral relations as a “success story”, noting that Slovakia has become Hungary’s second most important trading partner, with annual trade turnover having stabilised around 15 billion euros.

He welcomed that the two countries now have 40 border crossing points compared with just 22 in 2010. Szijjártó said Hungary and Slovakia ensured each other’s “physical, energy and economic security”. As regards physical security, he said the two countries helped each other combat illegal migration, and Hungary and Czechia patrol Slovakia’s airspace.

“In terms of energy supply, we have shared interests when it comes to the purchase of crude oil and natural gas,” Szijjártó said. “We’ve made it clear that we don’t want to cut off deliveries from the east because … that would gravely endanger both countries’ energy supply.” He also said that while many experts had thought it unnecessary to build the natural gas interconnector linking Hungary and Slovakia, the strategic importance of connecting the two countries’ energy grids “quickly became clear”. Szijjártó also highlighted the role of Slovak firms in the upgrade of Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said the two governments are preparing another agreement on the development of cross-border infrastructure, including the construction of new bridges, roads and rail links.

On another subject, he said the outcome of the US presidential election had brought about a “completely new political reality”, and there was “a greater chance than ever before for peace to return to central Europe”. He also said that Hungarian-Slovak cooperation based on mutual respect was ensured with “patriotic governments in power on both sides of the Danube”. In response to a question, Szijjártó slammed the European left’s handling of Olivér Várhelyi’s candidacy for the post of EU health commissioner as “pathetic political theatre”.

“Olivér Várhelyi did an excellent job at his confirmation hearing, and it is solely for petty political reasons that the European left is messing around with the Hungarian commissioner candidate,” Szijjártó said. “Unfortunately this phenomenon isn’t anything new, as the left joined forces in excluding the Patriots for Europe group from any leadership positions in the European Parliament.”

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Hungary and Ukraine negotiate cooperation agreement amid tensions over ethnic Hungarian rights

Talks are underway on concluding a comprehensive cooperation agreement between Hungary and Ukraine, which must include the restoration of the rights of Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarian community, a spokesman for the foreign ministry said on Friday, in response to a statement made two days earlier by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

zelensky ukraine hungary minority
Photo: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka

“We made it clear to the Ukrainian side during the talks that Ukraine’s intention to join NATO cannot be part of this agreement,” Máté Paczolay said.

“We have presented our position on this issue multiple times, and it remains unchanged. Ukraine’s accession to NATO would cause the outbreak of a third world war,” the spokesman added.

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Hungarian minister: Government takes responsibility for Hungarian communities across the border

Hungary’s government bears responsibility for the fate of Hungarian communities beyond the border, Balázs Hankó, the minister of culture and innovation, said on Saturday in Odorheiu Secuiesc (Székelyudvarhely), where he inaugurated a new building of a Reformed Church school.

Its aim is to foster the survival and development of these communities and nurture the intellectual and spiritual unity of the nation, he said.

transylvania school szeklerland
Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, speaks at the opening ceremony of the joint academic year of the Transylvanian and Partium Reformed Colleges in the downtown Reformed Church of Odorheiu Secuiesc on 21 September 2024. Photo: MTI/Kiss Gábor

At the opening of the school year of the Romanian Reformed schools in the city of Szekler Land (Székelyföld), Hankó said Hungarians in the motherland and beyond were part of a nation “that has stood proudly in central Europe for more than a thousand years”.

The nation parts were linked by “a common history and culture”, and they would also “build the future together”. Kelemen Hunor, the leader of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), also attended the ceremony.

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Vietnamese secures ethnic group status in Hungary with Election Committee approval

The National Election Committee certified at its Wednesday meeting a civil initiative to register Vietnamese as an ethnic group in Hungary.

Vietnamese as an ethnic group in Hungary

vietnamese flag
Photo: depositphotos.com

In line with the law, the condition for being registered as an ethnic group is the existence of at least 1,000 people who identify as belonging to that ethnic group and who hold Hungarian citizenship and voting rights in local elections.

Currently, the following 13 nationalities are recognised as forming an ethnic group in Hungary: Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Greek, Polish, Roma, Romanian, Rusyn, Serb, Slovak, Slovene and Ukrainian.

The initiative has been certified by the committee with a unilateral decision, and the petitioner now has 120 days to collect at least 1,000 supporting signatures.

The election committee will consult the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on whether the initiative meets the necessary legal conditions and if all the conditions are met, then it will be submitted to parliament to decide about the registration of the ethnic group.

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Featured image: depositphotos.com

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hungarians beyond borders receive money from Hungarian government

Some 227,159 ethnic Hungarian children and youth beyond the borders are receiving support this year through the government scheme dubbed Szülőföldön magyarul, an official of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.

Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, said in a statement that the scheme played an important role in enabling Hungarian children and youth beyond the borders to study in their mother tongue in their place of birth.

The government has been offering this type of support since the 2002/2003 academic year. All ethnic Hungarians studying in their mother tongue in their place of birth are eligible to apply for gross 100,000 forints (EUR 250) education-upbringing support and 100,000 forints student support, he added.

This year 237,296 applications were submitted and 227,159 were approved, he said. The transfer of support will start next week and continue in the upcoming weeks, he added.

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Navracsics: Hungarian nation held together by close-knit communities

In a world torn apart by crises, only nations with communities holding together can survive, the minister for public administration and regional development said in Révfülöp on Sunday, ahead of the August 20 national holiday celebrating Hungary’s statehood.

Navracsics in Révfülöp

Speaking in Révfülöp, at Lake Balaton, Tibor Navracsics said Hungary would remain strong if its “close-knit communities” helped the weak and “if we don’t let us be distracted by fake problems and fake debates.”

“The legacy of St Stephen … was creating a church, a state and a community, providing security not only for those of Hungarian ethnicity but all nations who felt Hungary was their homeland.”

St Stephen, Hungary’s first king and first Christian ruler, “created traditions … that helped us and gave us strength to preserve the nation in the future as well,” Navracsics said.

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Ukrainian-Hungarian Intergovernmental Consultation to review the situation of Hungarians in Transcarpathia

Ukraine and Hungary Cooperation

Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, on Tuesday said he has spoken by phone with Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, and they reviewed the situation regarding the rights of the Transcarpathian Hungarian community.

In a post on Facebook, Szijjártó said that following a decision made at their previous meeting in Uzhhorod (Ungvár) on Jan 29, a working group will hold an online consultation on Thursday, adding he was hopeful that “progress will be made”.

“We reviewed the infrastructure development projects at the Ukrainian-Hungarian border and established that while progressing at a good pace, they must be speeded up so as to eliminate … long waiting times,” he wrote.

Szijjártó will hold talks with the Ukrainian foreign minister on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday.

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PM Orbán greets ethnic Hungarians ahead of 15 March national holiday

Viktor Orbán Ukrainian victory

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has greeted ethnic Hungarians in a letter to be read out at celebrations around the world marking the March 15 national holiday.

“We will not give up any of our national independence either for the friendship or the threats of anyone,” the prime minister’s letter said.

Orbán’s letter

“The Hungarian nation became a flag-bearer of freedom in 1848,” Orbán said. “The young rebels of March demanded not only a responsible government, the abolishment of censorship, and equality before the law, but they also wanted to live in a Europe where nations work together to prosper side-by-side, and not on the ruins of others.”

“They believed that freedom is not an end in itself and it is not the freedom of the strong above the weak, nor the freedom of the majority above the minority, but above all, its purpose is to bring peace, security and wellbeing to all people,” he said.

“The spiritual heritage they left behind, stamped with their personal sacrifice, is that we will not give up any of our national independence either for the friendship or the threats of anyone,” the letter said.

Orbán added that “the lights of the watch fires of Hungarian freedom” could be seen from afar. “They advocate that we Hungarians ask and demand the return of a free, dignified and strong Europe, one that could maintain peace in its territory, and resolutely stood up against all open or concealed attempts to abolish the language and culture of indigenous minorities,” he said.

“Let there be peace, freedom and consensus,” he concluded.

Potápi inaugurates Petőfi statue in Vojvodina

Commemorations of the 1848-49 revolution and war of independence would be inconceivable without thinking of Sandor Petofi, the state secretary for Hungarian communities abroad said in Vojvodina, inaugurating a statue of the 19th century revolutionary and poet. Petőfi “is proof that being Hungarian is a matter of identity and not a matter of origin,” Árpád János Potápi said.

potápi petőfi vojvodina
Potápi inaugurates Petőfi statue in Vojvodina. Source: MTI/Molnár Edvárd

He said Hungarian communities, no matter where they lived in the world, were linked by their common language, culture and history, especially when celebrating national holidays.

Four Petofi statues were inaugurated in Vojvodina this year and last as part of programmes dubbed Move!Petőfi! marking the 200th anniversary of the poet’s birth.

Petofi is considered Hungary’s national poet, and was one of the key figures of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.

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Hungarian foreign minister meets Ukraine counterpart

Hungarian foreign minister meets Ukraine counterpart in Brussels

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who met Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels on Monday, said on Facebook that Hungary did not see its stance on Ukraine’s EU accession bid as a tactical issue.

Szijjártó said that whereas a meeting in person with Kuleba had not taken place since the outbreak of the war, they had kept in regular contact with the aim of improving Hungary-Ukraine ties.

Referring to the restriction of the rights of the Hungarian national minority in Ukraine, Szijjártó said “this cast a shadow on bilateral relations”, adding that Hungary demanded the restoration of conditions pertaining in 2015.

He noted that Ukraine’s EU ambitions were discussed.

“For us this isn’t a tactical issue but a decision of historic proportions regarding the future of the entire European Union,” he said.

The minister said the European Commission had no clue what effect Ukraine’s EU membership would have on the bloc. ‘It’s enough to think back to the intractable problems the Commission’s decision on grain transit and Ukraine scrapping the licensing requirement for lorries,” he said.

Szijjártó added, moreover, that the Commission had not prepared the ground for ensuring that Ukraine pursued mutually beneficial accession talks.

As we wrote on Sunday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met and exchanged a few words at the inauguration ceremony of Javier Milei, Argentina’s new president, in Buenos Aires – video here

Hungary not to ‘give in to pressure’

The Hungarian government will “continue to make its decisions in line with European and national values” and “will not give in to pressure from anyone, whether in the form of bribery or pledges,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook on Monday.

Ahead of “historic meetings affecting Europe’s future” to be held in Brussels this week, Szijjártó said there were signs of “appalling political and media pressure”. “The European political and media elite obviously mixes up completely different dimensions trying to resolve historical and strategic issues through tactical deals,” he said, but added “they will not succeed, obviously, we will not give our consent.”

Debates between foreign ministers of the EU and in the general affairs council will focus on Ukraine, he said, adding that “a large part of EU politicians seek to pass decisions that are largely unprepared for and lack a strategic consensus.”

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, Szijjártó said was under “tremendous political and media pressure” to approve the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine “despite the situation not being suitable for this right now”.

According to a ministry statement, Szijjártó said the pressure on Hungary was “unacceptable”, and he vowed that the country would not give up its national interests or the right to make its own sovereign decisions.

“We don’t accept being pressured, and we’ll also resist any attempts at blackmail…” Szijjártó said. “And I’d like to make it clear that we continue to refuse to conflate historical-strategic and tactical dimensions.”

“This is not a tactical position on our part,” he said, arguing that the question of when Ukraine could begin accession talks would have “serious historic consequences, too”.

The minister said any decision in connection with Ukraine’s potential accession talks could only be made after a preparatory phase, adding however that the conditions for these preparations were not in place.

He said the European Commission’s assessment that Ukraine had met four of the seven pre-conditions for talks was incorrect.

Hungary, he said, supported looking at mutually beneficial ways to enhance cooperation with Ukraine, adding that EU membership was not the only option. Deciding on starting accession talks now would be “irresponsible”, Szijjártó said, arguing that it was impossible to know the effects of such a decision.

He cited the effects of the EU’s resolutions on opening transit corridors for Ukrainian grain and exempting Ukrainian hauliers from seeking permits before entering bloc, saying the EU “could not salvage what was salvageable”.

Meanwhile, he said the Hungarian government had still not approved allocating an additional 500 million euros from the European Peace Facility for weapons deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that Kyiv’s list of international war sponsors still contained Hungarian entities and individuals, mainly linked to OTP Bank.

Asked to comment on Ukraine’s amended law on minorities, Szijjártó said Hungary and Transcarpathian ethnic Hungarian organisations would assess the legislation, adding it was already clear that it had failed not restore the rights minorities had been gradually stripped of since 2015.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said that on Monday afternoon, he will meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for Euro-Atlantic integration.

Also interesting: What will Putin say? Hungary manufactures combat vehicles for Ukraine

Is a disaster coming? Shocking decline of Hungarians living beyond the borders

Hungarian children in folk clothes

The Hungarian population, not only within the borders of Hungary itself but also beyond, is facing a concerning decline. Regions such as Transylvania, Transcarpathia, Vojvodina and even Upper Hungary are witnessing a significant decrease in their Hungarian inhabitants.

Experts’ opinions

According to a report by 444, a conference addressing population decline in Central Europe saw insights shared by experts such as Irén Gábrity Molnár, László Józsa, Tamás Korhecz, Katalin Kovály, Patrik Tátrai, Péter Vataščin, and Valér Veres. The consensus among experts is that the declining Hungarian population extends beyond Hungary itself to Hungarians residing outside the country. In Transylvania, a striking trend emerged, with one-third of the Hungarian population disappearing over a span of 35 years. Transcarpathia witnesses a similar unsettling pattern, with only slightly over half of the population remaining compared to two decades ago. The 2022 census results in Vojvodina are deemed a demographic disaster. Even in Felvidék, where the situation is relatively better, the number of Hungarians is on the decline. This prompts the crucial question: Can the ongoing depopulation be halted?

Transylvania: vanishing identities

In Transylvania, a startling statistic emerges – one-third of the Hungarian population has vanished within a mere 35 years. The latest census data from Romania, however, is met with skepticism. According to Tamás Kiss, a researcher at the Institute for Minority Studies, methodological errors cast doubt on the accuracy of the figures. Kiss suggests that Romania has an interest in portraying inflated numbers, as the reality might lead to reduced EU funding. According to Valér Veres, the number of ethnic Hungarians is at 1.1 million, a figure steadily decreasing since the 1977 census, which counted 1.7 million Hungarians. Intriguingly, the loss of identity seems less significant in Hungarian-Swabian and Hungarian-Romanian relations but holds pronounced importance in Hungarian-Romanian relations. This phenomenon indicates a growing trend where native Hungarian speakers are increasingly identifying themselves as Romanian in census declarations.

Transcarpathia: the impact of external factors

The situation in Transcarpathia is complex, with external factors playing a significant role. The last census in Ukraine dates back to 2001, making it challenging to assess the current state accurately. However, since 2017, the estimated number of Hungarians has dropped, exacerbated by the Russian attack in February 2022. Katalin Kovály predicts a continued exodus, especially from Hungarian villages, due to the ongoing war.

Upper Hungary: resilience amidst decline

Hungary’s cross-border population is more resilient in Upper Hungary. Despite a decrease in Hungary’s overall population, the region has only experienced an 8% decline. Assimilation, rather than emigration or natural decrease, stands out as the main factor. Patrik Tátrai emphasises that, unlike in other regions, assimilation is more common among young men than women.

Vojvodina: Serbia’s alarming situation

While Romania faces a decline in the Hungarian population, Serbia, particularly Vojvodina, presents the most alarming scenario in the Carpathian Basin. The 2022 census indicates 184,000 Hungarians, a significant drop from nearly 500,000 in 1961. Emigration, natural decline, and assimilation are identified as the primary reasons for this distressing trend.

Can this concerning decline be stopped?

The data paints a grim picture of the Hungarian population’s decline beyond Hungary’s borders. As experts debate the accuracy of census figures and assess the impact of various factors, the pressing question remains: Can this depopulation be stopped? The future may depend on effective policies, international cooperation, and a commitment to preserving the cultural tapestry of Hungarian communities dispersed across Central Europe. For further insights, explore the government’s initiative to bring Hungarians living abroad back home by reading our article HERE.

Minister: Situation of national minorities in Hungary not affected by difficult ties to motherland

Zsolt Semjén Christian Democrat

The situation of national minorities in Hungary cannot be negatively affected by a potentially difficult relationship between Hungary and the given motherland, the deputy prime minister in charge of policies for national minorities said on Monday.

Hungary’s Fundamental Law declares that the 13 indigenous national minority groups in the country are part of the Hungarian state and have self-governments, Zsolt Semjén said at his annual hearing before parliament’s committee for national minority communities.

The government aims to have the closest possible ties with the motherlands of Hungary’s ethnic communities, Semjén said, adding that even when there are disagreements, it could not have any sort of negative consequence for the minority groups.

Highlighting the example of the current disputes between Hungary and Ukraine, Semjén said this could not put the Ukrainian community in Hungary at any kind of disadvantage.

If relations with the motherland in question are good and fruitful — as they are in the case of Serbia — it can also benefit the given ethnic community, he said.

Meanwhile, Semjén said government support for ethnic minorities had been increased six-fold, while the number of national minority institutions had risen eight-fold. Whereas in 2010, there were only 12 national minority schools in Hungary, today there are 106, attended by 20,000 students, he said.

The government this year invited bids for a total of HUF 1.3 billion (EUR 3.4 million) in funding for national minorities, and some 1,000 projects worth a combined HUF 2 billion (EUR 5.3 million) have been carried out in the recent period, he said.

As regards key investment projects, he noted the renovation of the Slovak Evangelical church and centre, support for the construction of the Bulgarian education and cultural centre and the construction of a German primary school in Biatorbágy, on the outskirts of Budapest.

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Perplexing trends: Fewer Romani but more foreigners in Hungary?

Romani

After examining the Hungarian Central Statistical Office’s data (KSH) regarding the 2022 census, one dichotomy strikingly stands out: the number of Romani has seemingly dropped in comparison to the penultimate census results, while the quantity of foreigners have surged. Does this mean that the Roma population has been on the decline?

Number of Romani in 2011 versus 2022

As Telex reported, almost 315 thousand people identified themselves as Roma in 2011. If we compare this figure to the result of the last census carried out in 2022, we see a striking decline: only 209,909 individuals identified themselves as members of the Roma community. Does this mean that in this 11-years interval almost 105,000 Romani left Hungary? Probably not. The key to this phenomenon might be more obvious than we think.

Read more: Hungary proud on high Roma employment levels

What is behind the “decrease”?

As we have come to the conclusion, it is highly unlikely that this many Romani had left the country in under 11 years. There must be other possible explanations of the aforementioned trend. As Telex points out, the number of respondents who refused to answer nationality-related questions is worryingly high. Although it is impossible to draw any direct conclusions, the fact that Hungary’s leading party coalition opts for a rather nationalist way to approach the ethnicity issue may have influenced the respondents’ answers when filling up the forms. In other words, the majority of ethnic minorities may believe that the government favours Hungarian people over them, whom they deem somewhat privileged in that sense. When it comes to the Roma population, Ágnes Kende sociologist has indicated the following in her article: Romani “are being segregated at school, are having a hard time finding an apartment, are denied to enter clubs (…), one way or another, they are discriminated by the society”. Taking this aspect into consideration, it is not surprising that many Romani try to conceal their identity in the public eye in order not to face any discriminative treatment.

The bright side of the census

Despite the significant setback of the number of Romani who are willing to identify themselves as such, foreigners are becoming more open to answering the census’s questions regarding their nationality. This results in the potential growth of the number of self-identified immigrants. To sum up, we can witness a proliferation of their number in the past 20 years. There are approximately 217 thousand foreigners residing in Hungary, HSCO states. However, the phenomenon in question is quite surprising, taking into account the rather anti-foreigner propaganda of the Fidesz-ruled government. At the same time, we must note that, due to the Ukrainian war, the number of Ukrainians residing in Hungary went through a serious incrementation.

Read more: Foreigners flocking to Hungary: a safe haven for expats?

Good Hungary-Romania relations benefit ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania

Hungary foreign minister

Hungary must maintain the best possible relations with neighbouring countries because it also benefits ethnic Hungarians living there, as demonstrated in the case of Hungary and Romania, the foreign minister said on Thursday.

The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó telling a joint press conference with Hunor Kelemen, president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), that the government considered national communities as a link and resource, which also applies to the ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania and Szekler land. The performance of RMDSZ has been proof that this approach is correct, as the party’s activities have “considerably contributed to the development of bilateral cooperation”, he added.

He said that especially in the current period burdened by crises, “Hungary cannot afford not to maintain effective bilateral cooperation based on mutual respect and serving mutual interests”.

Szijjártó said the government would continue to support RMDSZ’s activities in order to ensure that the ethnic Hungarian communities further strengthen in Transylvania and Szekler land.

Kelemen said it was important to improve living conditions for ethnic Hungarians in Romania, in order to stop the shrinking of the community. This requires good relations between the two countries and pragmatic cooperation, he added.

“We don’t need to agree on everything … what’s most important is that the two states identify common points of view and there are a whole lot of them,” he said.

Radical Hungarian party: We have to fight gypsy crime

előd novák parliament

Opposition Mi Hazánk has submitted a package of amendment proposals to the criminal code “in an effort to fight the proliferation of gypsy crime”, party lawmaker Előd Novák said on Tuesday.

The current criminal code includes some easing of regulations when it comes to certain cases of rowdiness, and Mi Hazánk instead is calling for stricter punishment of acts of disorderly conduct committed in a group involving weapons, he said.

The party also proposes that lynching should appear in the statute book as an independent crime, he added.

Additionally, security guards not carrying arms should be protected by law as persons fulfilling public duties, he said.

Mi Hazánk law enforcement expert Attila Vidó said that security guards working in shopping malls were subjected to incidents on a daily basis as a result of shoplifting attempts.

Ministry: We will not give US ethnic Hungarians’ data

Hungarians abroad 1

The United States has demanded the Hungarian government disclose personal data in connection with Hungarians with dual citizenship living abroad, the interior ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ministry said Hungary would not disclose such data “because the security of ethnic Hungarians is at stake”. The statement added that the administration of President Joe Biden was “taking revenge on Hungarians”.

As we reported earlier, as of today, the United States has significantly restricted visa-free travel from Hungary due to security concerns over Hungarian passports issued between 2011 and 2020. On the contrary, Russia has made it easier for Hungarians to obtain visas to Russia: Hungarian citizens can now apply for electronic visas to the country.