Hungarian American Coalition News, 2004 (13. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2004 / 3. szám
Hungarian American Coalition November 2004 Vol. 13, No. 3 HUNGARIAN-HUNGARIAN RELATIONS AFTER THE 2004 ENLARGEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Summary of a document prepared by the Government Office for Hungarian Minorities Abroad In recent years a radical change took place in Hungary's geopolitical position resulting from its accession to NATO in 1999 and, even more importantly, from its accession to the European Union this year. After shedding the chains of Soviet subservience, for close to a decade and a half Hungary existed in a "structural vacuum" having left the Soviet orbit without really joining the long desired Western orbit. The discussion paper has four sections entitled: After the accession, Dual citizenship, Autonomy and Regional cooperation. After the accession The changes in Hungary's newly transformed geopolitical status open the doors to the possibility of reuniting the Hungarian nation within a European framework, that is, without changing state borders. The full opportunity for the above will not be realized until much later because, for the time being, Hungary is united within the EU only with Slovakia and Slovenia. The accession of Romania and Croatia will have to wait at least 3-4 more years, that of Serbia even more, and it is questionable if Ukraine will be able to join in the foreseeable future. As a result, it is to be realized that, due to this extended transition era, it is not possible any more to fashion a generic Hungarian one-size-fits-all policy vis-á-vis the related communities across the borders. Those will have to be established region-by-region, issue-by-issue. The most urgent present task is a sort of broad national learning process, including not only Hungary proper but the cross-border communities as well, whether they are inside or outside the EU. Hungary will have to start reducing the distance between itself and its more advanced Western EU partners, learn the rules of the Union, master the specifics of "Union thinking" to be able to exploit Union resources and opportunities. Not insignificantly, Hungary has to guide the minority communities on this road, including those remaining outside the EU for the time being, as the "neighborhood policies” of the Union will provide opportunities for them as well. Ultimately this will (continued on page 2) This is an English language summary of a paper prepared in July 2004 by an agency of the Hungarian government, the Government Office for Hungarian Minorities Abroad. It was commissioned by the President (Speaker) of the Parliament of Hungary, dr. Katalin Szili, to serve as a keynote paper for a meeting on September 10 between members of the Parliament of Hungary and ethnic Hungarian members of the legislatures of countries bordering on Hungary, as well as ethnic Hungarian members of the European Parliament elected from the above countries. This meeting resulted in the establishment of a Forum of Hungarian Representatives of the Carpathian Basin to be convened periodically. The paper is a futureoriented study of the ever-important and sensitive subject of Hungary's relations with the ethnic Hungarian communities living in neighboring countries as a result of territorial rearrangements by the post-World War I Treaty of Trianon. This summary was prepared by dr. Bulcsú Veress of Arlington, Virginia.
