Neighboring Slovakia and Romania, whose Hungarian populations are the most numerous, have already expressed their bewilderment over this, reports Korrespondent.net.
After World War I, Hungary, which had been part of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary and fought on the side of Germany, lost two-thirds of the territories under its jurisdiction. Millions of ethnic Hungarians became citizens of other countries overnight. As a result, today 1.7 million Hungarians live in Romania, 600,000 in Slovakia, 340,000 in Yugoslavia, 155,000 in Ukraine, 25,000 in Croatia, and about 10,000 in Slovenia. At the same time, according to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, about 25% of all Hungarians in the diaspora would like to return to their historical homeland.
In adopting the corresponding law, the Hungarian parliament pursued several goals at once. First, in the words of the country's former foreign minister, János Martonyi, the law reflects the "genuine national unity" of Hungarians who were previously divided – for historical and political reasons. Henceforth, the Hungarian state officially recognizes that the borders of the nation do not coincide with state borders and extend far beyond the latter.
Second, the status granted by the law to foreign Hungarians – something between ordinary tourists and full citizens of Hungary – allows for an increased influx of skilled labor into the country (the Hungarian economy, which is on the rise, is in need of workers) and, at the same time, to put up a barrier against uncontrolled immigration.
According to the parliament's decision, the law is to take effect on January 1, 2002 – about two years before Hungary's accession to the EU.
The law, unprecedented in its provisions, has already caused concern in neighboring countries, especially Slovakia and Romania, which fear that their citizens will fall under Hungary's jurisdiction. Thus, the Slovak foreign minister, immediately after the law was passed by the Hungarian parliament, stated that "the implementation of the new law cannot take place without subsequent intensive consultations with all interested parties." His Romanian counterpart, as befits a southerner, was more specific: "If this law takes effect anywhere, it certainly will not be in Romania." According to the minister, the Hungarian ambassador in Bucharest was summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry to demand explanations, and the Romanian ambassador in Budapest received instructions to express Romania's indignation to the Hungarian authorities.
Initially, the privileges granted by the Hungarian law also extended to citizens of Hungarian nationality in Austria, but as soon as Budapest learned of the EU's negative reaction to this decision, reports AP, Austria was "crossed off the list."