Hungary Adopts Citizenship Law

[cyppok]

Hungary Adopts Citizenship Law

This is an interesting story, considering that the new Hungarian gov't just won a tremendous majority as a center-right Fiszc Party.

Thursday, 27 May 2010

Hungary's new parliament has adopted a controversial law that will grant citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring nations nearly nine decades after the country lost two-thirds of its territory. The law comes Wednesday despite a major
diplomatic row with neighboring Slovakia which has immidiately retaliated with legislation banning double citizenship.

The Hungarian new law has allowed millions of ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries to apply for Hungarian citizenship. The only conditions are that they have to prove they are of Hungarian origin and speak the language.

The vote came almost 90 years after Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory under the peace Treaty of Trianon which followed World War I. About three million ethnic Hungarians live in those lost areas, which are now part of neighboring nations such as Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine and Romania.

The citizenship bill was an old pledge of the center-right Fidesz party which won elections in April and now holds a powerful two-thirds majority in parliament. A Fidesz-government is to be sworn in on Saturday.

Slovakia's parliament reacted immediately Wednesday with legislation which will strip ethnic Hungarians of their Slovakian citizenship if they take advantage of Hungary's offer.

The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has also condemned Hungary's citizenship law, which will come into force in January. He says granting Hungarian citizenship to Slovakia's half a million ethnic Hungarians amounts to a serious security threat for his nation.

Mr. Fico says it is "egotistic and arrogant" that the legislaton is introduced without consultation with his government. He says the un-friendly policy will harm bilateral relations.

But the man who will be Foreign Minister in the new Hungarian government, Janos Martonyi, has described the Slovakian prime minister's reaction as part of a campaign for the Slovakian general elections in June.

Martonyi insists that the Hungarian legislation in no way affects Slovakian interests or its territorial integrity. He charges what he views as political hysteria ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Thursday, 27 May 2010

The problem with Slovakia is that Hungary used to and still does consider Bratislava (Slovak capital) and parts of southern Slovakia where Hungarians are in a minority as their historic lands. Which is kinda similar to Poland considering Lviv their historic city even though in both cases the local populous Slovaks/Ukranians were forcibly deported out of those cities to create an ethnic majority for the Hungarians/Poles during their tenures there.

Romania actually still has 3 counties in the middle of the country litterally where Hungarians constitute a majority, and my guess is Romania is not too worried about it.

I do not see it as revisionism of the Trianon treaty I simply see it as a law granting the right of return in my view. Ergo similar to Israeli or German laws which allow ethnic kin a path back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarians_in_Slovakia

[crooks]

I can see both arguments - there's no doubt that millions of Hungarians (and there is no other word for them, they are pure Magyars in every sense) woke up to find themselves on the wrong side of the border, and had to adopt to living in countries that were less than welcoming towards them, and faced unspoken discrimination, stunted opportunities.

At the same time, the region has moved forward somewhat, and this does open lots of doors to conflict, with a considerable minority of citizens having the option to become citizens of another juristiction, which they weren't born in, and creates split loyalties in many senses - it's a good idea to allow a proud people to express themselves, but it's also going to make problems, and because of that it would have been much better for Fidesz to negotiate with the neighbouring countries to find a better way to impliment it than unilaterally.

Hungary and Slovakia are going to start a diplomatic spat over it, and the people who should benefit from this, the Hugarian minority, will be forgotten, as minorities often are.

[RustyBattleship]

Hungary Adopts Citizenship Law


Romania actually still has 3 counties in the middle of the country litterally where Hungarians constitute a majority, and my guess is Romania is not too worried about it.

Hungarians in Slovakia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That includes the "infamous" Transylvania of Dracula and Frankenstein stories Hungarians consider detremental though entertaining. It's terrain actually is somewhat mountainous but has an excellent agricultural industry with its fertile farmlands.

One of the biggest complaints by Hungarians is the loss of Transylvania because of its agricultural capabilities. So don't be surprised if the Romanians have a complaint about the dual citizenship also.

Hmmm, my wife's biological father was from Transylvania, maybe that's why she likes to nibble on my neck once in a while.

[cyppok]

The other interesting part of this is would Jews of Hungarian origin be entitled to citizenship under this bill. Ergo those who left Hungary and went to Israel to live, were most likely stripped of Hungarian citizenship prior to going to Israel as a perma resident / citizen. Mazsihisz the Hungarian Jewish organization seems to bring this up but cant find good link for it.

[bigross86]

That would be interesting, might be able to get EU citizenship through my dad, since his father was Hungarian. I tried getting it through my grandma (she's Polish, she would get it back, then my mother would apply, then I would get it) but apparently there was something she signed willingly giving up her Polish citizenship after WWII, so that channel is cut off too. If I really want a EU passport, my only path is to marry a girl with EU citizenship.

I don't have anything against the US or Israeli passport I have, but there are some places that like Europeans that don't like Americans and Israelis...

[Bigfella]

I am all in favour of dual citizenship for those who want it, but the way this has been undertaken looks destined to cause all sorts of problems in an area with all sorts of lingering issues about borders & ethnicity.

While I don't think Hungary is making any ambit claims for territory here, I suspect this will look a lot more like Russia granting citizenship to people in Georga than Israel granting citizenship to jews. Israel deosn't have historical claims on the territory populated by the people it is granting citizenship to nor does it neighbour any such territory. This is going to be a messy time to be an Hungarian diplomat.

[Mihais]

First of all,this is a project that's lurking for a while.Second,for us there is 0 problems,both officially and unofficially.The Hungarian ethnic party was a member in the government for 16 or 17 years after 1990,while inter-ethnic relations are mostly good .Those 3 counties with Hungarian majority are 2,and here the hotheads are located.The local authorities here tend to discriminate against the ethnic Romanians,while there are good chances that no one will answer a question in Romanian(there are equally good chances that there will be no problems&in my experience 0 chances that the ''niceties'' won't be understood).The result for the Szekely tribe located here is that no opportunities outside their region are available(the area is not on any major route and as a result the sole development was during the Commie years,but those are long overdue) and this is fine with me and everyone else. Those make ~500000 of the ~1.6 millions Hungarians and the most vocal in political demands such as local ethnic authonomy &the like(most of their concerns were addressed a long time ago,but ethnic authonomy won't happen).The other 1mill.+ are ok.

I just won't enter in the historical aspect of the issue,unless someone asks.I'll only comment that there are deeply embedded prejudices both in locals and the outsiders that were subjected to the propaganda war of both sides(albeit the Hungarian side started this much sooner and with great results,while our efforts were feeble).Interpretations of history were the main weapon,so that may explain my reluctance.
Btw,the historical Dracula ruled the Southern principality of Wallachia.His sole connections with Transylvania was that he was born here(and a bit of political matters,but that's beside the point).But it's such a great brand.And my GF also bites
Guess I addressed most points here.

[cyppok]

I am all in favour of dual citizenship for those who want it, but the way this has been undertaken looks destined to cause all sorts of problems in an area with all sorts of lingering issues about borders & ethnicity.

While I don't think Hungary is making any ambit claims for territory here, I suspect this will look a lot more like Russia granting citizenship to people in Georga than Israel granting citizenship to Jews. Israel deosn't have historical claims on the territory populated by the people it is granting citizenship to nor does it neighbour any such territory. This is going to be a messy time to be an Hungarian diplomat.

{when Germany granted citizenship to people in Russia there was no perceived notion that they would get Kaliningrad oblast back.}

Russia is granting citizenship to people in Abkhazia, it is not their fault Stalin decided to make Georgia larger and incorporated them and South Osseita into it during his reign. During the 91' war about 150,000 people fled into Krasnodarsky Krai mostly Russians and some other ethnicities, I think it was the only time ever when Chechens and Cossacks fought on the same side against Georgians.

But yes Hungarians have not dissmissed the notions of territorial claims over the citizenship law at least the perception of Slovakia to be concerned here. IF they made it universal to all groups and non ethnic based ergo ANYONE WHO was a citizen of HUNGARY prior to WW2 wanted Hungarian citizenship would have it then the territorial perceptions would melt since it would be open to almost anyone who originated from the country and not just ethnic elements.

[crooks]

IF they made it universal to all groups and non ethnic based ergo ANYONE WHO was a citizen of HUNGARY prior to WW2 wanted Hungarian citizenship would have it then the territorial perceptions would melt since it would be open to almost anyone who originated from the country and not just ethnic elements.

Yeah but that kinda defeats the purpose - it's not Slovakians or Czechs who they consider members of their nation, it's a bit different in that it IS very much an ethnic and cultural decision, it would be churlish to claim otherwise, not particularly pluralist, but then again neither has Slovakia been to the Hungarian minority.

Slovakia has been a 'cold house' for Hungarians, to borrow David Trimble's phrase, and moves like this are a natural, perhaps even overdue step to protect Hungarians no longer living in Hungary.

There are better ways to implement it, and it does enflame tensions again in a region that was healing, but the principle is sound.

[kato]

{when Germany granted citizenship to people in Russia there was no perceived notion that they would get Kaliningrad oblast back.}

Actually, the Soviet Union (or rather: a Soviet Major General) offered "talking about Kaliningrad" in July 1990. The German government declined - after all it was hard enough to get in particular the UK to sign off on absorbing the GDR already.
Russia then increasingly went on to settle ethnic Germans in the area in the 90s, those who didn't go on to Germany.

We also granted citizenship to any Poles and Romanians with even the remotest German ethnic connotation. Altogether almost 4 million people from the East pretty much none of whom even spoke fluent German. The Russians were the least integrative, replacing all other groups at the bottom of the social pyramid by the mid-90s, and staying there till today.