Hungarian Conservative

According to information from POLITICO, EU leaders and some member states want to punish Hungary by giving the country a weak portfolio in the next European Commission. Hungary currently holds the position of Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, but tensions between Brussels and Budapest are rising due to Hungary’s resistance to Ukraine’s accession.

After lengthy negotiations, an agreement was reached on the opening of a new border crossing point at the Hungarian–⁠Ukrainian border, bringing the total number of crossing points between the two countries to six. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó described this development as a significant step forward that will enhance people’s lives and foster better relations between the two countries.

For the first time since the end of January, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sat down for talks. Recently, significant steps have been taken to restore mutual trust between the two countries.

All indications suggest that Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy may soon be sitting down at the negotiating table. The parties have a multitude of contentious issues to discuss, beginning with the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia.

The book is extremely valuable in many aspects, for instance because it sheds light on the complex structure of the Hungarian immigrant society as well as of those of the Hungarian minorities in Transylvania and Vojvodina, and historical episodes less known to readers in the Hungarian homeland, thus providing valuable insights for those involved in diaspora studies, not only for interested non-professional readers.

István Schink was originally fired from his post at the II. Rákóczi Ferenc Secondary School in Munkács (Mukachevo), Ukraine in January. An April ruling by the District Court reinstated him, however, he was again removed three weeks later. That was also challenged in court, and the judges sided with Schink again.

The American Hungarian Federation has been working tirelessly to preserve Hungarian culture and education in the United States, and has been a powerful advocate for the collective rights of Hungarians living in minority status in the Carpathian Basin. AHF also considers it its mission to dispel misleading narratives about Hungary and Trianon, AHF President Ákos Nagy told Hungarian Conservative.

‘We have managed to make a decision that does not carry the risk of war escalation, and the member states have made it clear that Ukraine can only receive an invitation to join NATO if the country fulfils all the necessary conditions and if the allies unanimously agree on it in the future,’ the Hungarian foreign minister stated.

As concerns regarding Ukraine’s minority law continue to linger, FUEN President Loránt Vincze provides valuable insights into the Venice Commission’s recent findings and their implications for the fundamental rights of individuals belonging to ethnic minorities.

What does the lower reach of the River Garam mean to Hungarians? For some, it is just a region of the Uplands, for others, a beautiful, wide, flat, and fertile valley surrounded by hills, while many people do not even know where to look on the map when they hear its name. For ethnic Hungarian local historian Gábor Juhász, it represents his homeland, a place where his ancestors had lived for hundreds of years.

Ferenc Kalmár said that unfortunately, in recent times, there has been regression rather than progress in the issue of national minorities on a global scale, and the Russo-Ukrainian war has further exacerbated the situation.

The NATO–Ukraine Foreign Ministers’ meeting will take place on 4–5 April in Brussels and it will not be a one-time event, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. He also added that Hungary’s concerns will be discussed.

In accordance with the established practice, special rapporteurs submit annually their thematic report on the events and experiences of the previous period. On 6 March, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes published the Proposal for a Draft Global Convention on the Rights of Minorities attached to his annual thematic report.

Romania has joined Budapest in criticising some of Kyiv’s policies. Bucharest has raised ecological concerns over Ukraine’s plan to continue to dredge the Danube Delta to increase its volume of trade through the Bystroye Canal.

Despite the continual support and humanitarian aid provided by Hungary, serious anti-Hungarian voices and resentment of Hungary still appear in the Ukrainian media.

Guaranteeing access to education in their mother tongue to the Hungarian minorities abroad is an important goal of the Hungarian state, to help the preservation of these historical, indigenous communities.

Miklós Duray was an activist fighting for the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Czechoslovakia, then Slovakia, from an early age. As a university student, he co-funded the Committee for the Defence of Rights of Hungarians in Czechoslovakia.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine not only opened a new era in geopolitics but also affected the political framework for the protection of national minorities.