MINORITIES IN HUNGARY

Hungary, in the heart of the Carpathian basin is not exclusively the homeland of Hungarians, it is the home of many nationalities and communities who have arrived here during the centuries passed since the conquest of the country by the Hungarians and who have been admitted by the majority population. According to the Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the Rights of Nationalities, all ethnic groups resident in Hungary for at least one century are nationalities which are in numerical minority amongst the population of the State, are distinguished from the rest of the population by their own language, culture and traditions and manifest a sense of cohesion that is aimed at the preservation of these and at the expression and protection of the interests of their historically established communities. According to this definition, the Annex to the Act acknowledges thirteen established national minorities in Hungary: Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Greek, Polish, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Ukrainian.

Almost 10% of the population of Hungary affiliate themselves with a national minority, and their languages, cultures, traditions and customs make our country not only more colourful and richer, but they also create and maintain important links towards the nationalities’ mother countries, most of which are neighbouring to Hungary.

We hold it important to present our minority communities as unfortunately the majority population has little information about the minority communities living with us for centuries. This is in particular true to the minority communities of small numbers and the ones that are rarely mentioned in the media news, but who are also committed and active in preserving and developing their distinguished and valuable cultural treasures and their own identity.

The protection of the rights of the nationalities living in Hungary – national and ethnic minorities, according to the previous terminology – dates back to the time of changing the regime in 1989.

According to Article 68 para. (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary that had been in force until 31 December 2011, the national and ethnic minorities living in the territory of the Republic of Hungary are part of the people’s power: they are State- constituing elements. Accordingly the Constitution acknowledged the national and ethnic minorities living in the country’s territory, granting them extra minority rights to guarantee the actual equality of rights and compensate for disadvantages.

Aricle 68 para . (2) listed some of these rights including the right to collective participation in public life, the right to foster minority culture, to use mother tongue, to have education in mother tongue, to use their names in their own language and to set up local and national minority self-governments.

The Act LXXVII of 1993 on the rights of national and ethnic minorities (hereinafter ARM) was adopted on the basis of the Constitution for the purpose of implementing the constitutional provisions. It is important to note that ARM laid down the basis of a minority protection system that is exemplary on European level as well. Up till today the basic elements of this system dominate the everyday life of the 13 nationality communities acknowledged in Hungary.

The new Fundamental Law was put into force on 1 January 2012 and it took over most of the above provisions. According to the new terminology, we use the term “nationalities”. The Fundamental Law provides for the protection and the special role of the nationalities living in Hungary. Just as the previous Constitution, it describes them as constituent parts of the State and parts of the political community. According to Article XXIX para. (1) of the Fundamental Law, every Hungarian citizen belonging to a nationality shall have the right to freely declare and preserve his or her identity.

In addition, they shall have the right to use their mother tongue, to use their names in their own language individually and collectively, to foster their culture and to receive education in their mother tongues. Nationalities living in Hungary may set up local and national self-governments . (Article XXIX paragraph (2) of the Fundamental Law). According to Article 2 para. (2) of the Fundamental Law, the participation in the work of Parliament of nationalities living in Hungary shall be regulated by a cardinal Act (requiring qualified majority votes in the Parliament).

The rules of the Fundamental Law are detailed in the new Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the rights of nationalities (hereinafter: ARN). It replaced the former ARM, partly taking over the previous provisions with some modifications.