Hungary in the World

Hungary is a medium-sized Central Eastern European state, over a thousand years old, with a population of ten million; it is not abundant in natural resources. Its geographic location, size and means restrict its room for manoeuvre and opportunities. Hungarian foreign policy, taking these limitations into account, takes a proactive stance in foreign relations, the central focuses of which are European integration, transatlantic co-operation and a constructive neighbourhood policy and Hungarian “nation” policy tailored to the times.

Hungary’s goal is to promote peace, security, stability, her citizens’ well-being, economic development and realising of the values of democracy. Hungarian foreign policy takes as its starting point the common values of its European Union and NATO partners based upon the Charter of the United Nations: respect for humanity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, and respect for human and minority rights.

The need to transform Hungarian foreign policy

Decisive domestic changes: with the end of the Cold War, marked changes took place in Hungary. With the change in political system, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and independence from Moscow, Hungarian foreign policy was not any more under considerable external strain. At the start of the 1990s Prime Minister József Antall’s government determined three foreign policy goals, to which every successive government adhered.

• The first goal was Hungarian Euro-Atlantic integration, namely the accession to the European Union and NATO
• The second, in the interest of Hungary’s security and economy, was to maintain good neighbourly relations with neighbouring countries; this was also a precondition for achieving the goal of Euro-Atlantic integration
• The third priority was supporting Hungarian minorities living beyond the border and providing the best possible conditions for them in their place of residence. This aim also had a close connection with the success of Euro-Atlantic integration and creating good neighbourly relations.

These aims were realised either fully or partially in just under a decade and a half. Hungary, in the framework of basic agreements, has settled its relations with neighbouring countries. In 1999, together with the Czech Republic and Poland, it was among the first newcomers to NATO and from May 1, 2004 it became a member of the European Union. Over the past fifteen years the situation of Hungarian minority communities living beyond the border and their opportunities to realise their interests has improved. Hungary has lobbied in a bilateral and multilateral framework alike for the formation of agreements aimed towards minority protection.

The transformation of external conditions: the present reconsideration of our priorities - set during the period of the change of political system - has been pressed forward not only by changes in Hungary’s domestic situation but by significant transformations taking place externally, too. The end of the Cold War presaged significant changes in the international situation which had both direct and indirect impacts on Hungary. While the world entered into an unparalleled period of transformation affecting almost all walks of life - offering hitherto unseen development possibilities for individual countries - new challenges also emerged. The formation of co-operation and mutual dependence between states and regions had never before been witnessed as a consequence of the intensification and spread of globalisation. Besides unleashing positive sources of development, serious security and economic consequences also accompanied these changes.

Main tenets of Hungary’s current foreign policy

Soon after EU accession, a new process was launched in 2006 calling forth the creation of a new external relations strategy. The Hungarian government adopted this in February 2008. Accordingly, Hungarian foreign policy has three main strategic threads:

• A competitive Hungary in the European Union
• A successful Hungary in the region
• A responsible Hungary in the world

Hungary’s active presence in the European Union

The European Union is the primary framework for Hungary’s foreign policy activities. Our political, economic, social-cultural connections stitch us together traditionally with Europe, with the member states of the enlarged European Union. Having joined the community we have the opportunity to actively participate in the political formation of the European Union rather than simply being passive political recipients. We can make use of this effectively only if we undertake an active role in substantive measures.

Strengthening integration: our development and global competitiveness is bound up with the formation of the European Union’s internal development and global competitiveness, and this is why our primary goal is to strengthen the process of integration. In respect of these aspirations, a positive signal was that we were the first to ratify the Lisbon Treaty which substitutes for constitutional treaty and which - if every member state likewise ratifies it - will help to elevate integration to a higher level.

An important element of integration is accession to the Schengen zone. On December 21, 2007, Hungary joined the Schengen zone together with eight other new member states. With this important step - important both symbolically and in practice, too - Hungary fulfilled one of its main priorities. Naturally we should be careful to ensure that our accession does not adversely affect countries lying beyond the Union borders; the maintenance of connections with Hungarians living beyond the borders should be obstructed as little as possible.

EU enlargement: our vision is the full integration of the entire European continent. It is in our strategic interest that ever more European countries fulfil the political and economic criteria and become full legal members of the Union. It is particularly important for us that in securing the advancement of the democratisation process of the Balkans and Eastern European region, as well as its stability, a realistic European perspective should be maintained through bi-lateral and community initiatives. Advancing the integration of our neighbours (Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine) is of special importance for Hungary.

Hungarian Presidency: in 2010-2011 the trio of Spain, Belgium and Hungary will take over the serial presidency responsibilities of the European Council. Hungary will fulfil the presidency of the Council in the first half of 2011 and play an important role in determining the EU agenda and organising its activities. Greater influence goes hand in hand with greater responsibility and an expanded ambit of tasks. Hungary started preparing in 2007 for the special tasks connected with the presidency and the foreign ministry sees to its central co-ordination.

Activity in the EU foreign relations: Hungary plays an active and initiating role in the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security policy. We regard priorities as the European integration of the Western Balkans in respect of which we assist with substantive diplomatic and expert initiatives. In the framework of the European Union’s Security and Defence policy we participate with significant contingents in EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EULEX mission in Kosovo. We regard strengthening the eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood policy as an important objective, and we regard Ukraine and Moldova as special partners in doing so.

Hungary and its immediate environs - a successful Hungary in the region

Hungary fosters balanced political, economic and cultural relations with its immediate neighbours thereby contributing to the country’s modernisation, realising Union and regional interests and guaranteeing the well-being of the Hungarian community living beyond the border.

Hungary’s regional policy has two inter-dependent, mutually pre-conditional and supporting pillars – nation policy and political, economic and cultural co-operation pursued with the region’s states.

Nation policy, minority policy

The European Union accession of the area’s countries has provided a new framework in respect of our relations with the communities of Hungarians living beyond the border. Of the seven countries bordering our nation, four—Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Slovenia—are already integrated into Europe, while Croatia will soon join and Serbia and Ukraine aim to join. The reunification of the Hungarian nation in the European framework, with the disappearance of the borders is at the same time offers a historic possibility to renew the essence of national solidarity. This is a further opportunity of key importance for minority communities to play a positive role in bilateral relations and for states themselves to create a strategy to harmonise parallel and common regional development conceptions in the interest of the minorities.

Nation policy in a new framework: Central and Eastern Europe, in terms of its ethnic, national and religious viewpoints, is a strongly diversified area of Europe. Like the area’s other national minorities, the Hungarian nation also has a diverse geo-political configuration. Hungary strives to win room – besides the individual minority rights - for the acceptance of community rights, which could secure the evening out of disadvantages arising from the minority’s existence, and sustaining the minority’s culture, language and identity. It supports educational, cultural and church institutional systems, with special attention paid to sustaining the region’s cultural diversification, preserving its many languages and supporting the autonomy of minorities. Besides normative support for the preservation of identity, it focuses on developments using EU funding that are aimed at competitiveness, and thus prosperity in the birthplace.

Hungary supports the notion of a Europe of regions, permeable political borders, and the creation of cross-border regional co-operational formations. Our important aspiration is that the expansion of the Schengen area should not be accompanied by the descent of a “new iron curtain”, and this aim also serves the interests of the Hungarian communities living beyond Europe’s borders.

Minority policy: Hungary considers important that the well-being of the minorities and guaranteeing the sustainability of their identity and culture is regulated by proper legislation as well as a system of support and representation. A positive example of this is the Hungarian Constitution and the 1993 LXXVII Act which guarantees the rights of national and ethnic minorities.

According to this law, “a national or ethnic minority is any ethnic group with a history of at least one century of living in the Republic of Hungary, which represents a numerical minority among the citizens of the state, the members of which are Hungarian citizens, and are distinguished from the rest of the citizens by their own language, culture and traditions, and at the same time demonstrate a sense of belonging together, which is aimed at the preservation of all these, and the expression and protection of the interests of their communities, which have been formed in the course of history.” (1§ paragraph 2). On the basis of the law, thirteen national groups - Bulgarian, Roma, Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serb, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian - are defined as national groups native in Hungary. On the basis of the 2001 national census, 314 060 people declared themselves as belonging to one of the national or ethic minorities.

The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary recognises national and ethnic minorities as state-forming communities and guarantees their right to collective participation in public life. These minorities enjoy the protection of the Republic of Hungary; they have the right to nurture their own culture, use their own language, study in their own language and give their names in their own language. The Constitution guarantees the representation of national and ethnic minority groups and the setting up of local and countrywide self-government bodies. There is also a parliamentary commissioner appointed for the effective interest protection of national and ethnic minority laws.

Hungarian bilateral and multilateral relations in the region

Regional co-operation forums: In the areas of the economy, politics and culture Hungarian foreign policy aspires towards co-operation in the region. Hungary’s central and eastern European policy relies on the pull factors of the regions of South Germany and North Italy, on EU and regional co-operation as well as on similar bilateral and multilateral tendencies outside the EU framework. Currently Hungary is a participant in the following important regional co-operation forums: the Visegrád Group Co-operation (Czech Rep, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia), Regional Partnership (Austria, Czech Rep, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia), the Central European Initiative (18 member counties covering the whole region from Italy to Belarus), and the Quadrilaterale (Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia). Besides these we participate in various forms of multilateral co-operation touching functional areas; for example, the Budapest-based Danube Commission.

Western Balkans: we are a proactive, committed supporter of the Western Balkan countries’ Euro-Atlantic integration. These countries’ integration, creation of economic stability, promotion of democratisation processes are our primary security, economic and national policy interests. On the basis of the European Union’s Thessalonica Programme, Hungary extends active and tangible support which at its own initiative is supplemented by the Szeged Process. Besides political and diplomatic assistance, we participate in the region’s peace-keeping operations, too. Currently there are almost 700 Hungarian soldiers serving in the Balkans in NATO and EUFOR missions, and have won the recognition of the international community. We are also significant participants in economic reconstruction. More than fifty percent of Hungary’s foreign direct investments (3 billion euros) are directed at the Balkans; Hungary’s big investors are present in all its countries (National Savings Bank-OTP, Hungarian Oil Company-MOL, Hungarian Telecom and real estate developer, “TriGránit”).

Moldova and Ukraine: we consider co-operation with these eastern neighbours very important. In the case of Ukraine the Nyíregyháza Initiative is the framework in which we strive to promote the country’s aspirations in the direction of Europe through various training and support programmes. We place a large emphasis on co-operation with Moldova, too. In 2007, Hungary opened an EU Common Visa Application Centre at its Chisinau embassy whose operation is exemplary, the EU Special Representative in Moldova is a senior Hungarian diplomat, and a Hungarian police general is the commanding officer of the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) at the Ukraine-Moldova border.

Russia’s current and future role - because of sensitive issues and difficult periods of conflict in the common past- continues to be a source of dispute in the Hungarian political arena. It is obvious that Russia is an important economic factor in our region and in Europe, too -particularly in view of energy matters. Russia is of key importance from the point of view of securing Hungary’s energy supply, and it is in our primary interest that balanced, interest-based relations are maintained. At present we can count on the volume of economic-trade relations expanding at a fast pace. It is important that Hungarian businesses expand their investment opportunities in Russia.

A responsible Hungary in the world

Regions of primary importance for Hungary

The United States has a privileged position in Hungary’s network of foreign economic and diplomatic relations. Close ties are based on common values and proximity of interests. It is important that U.S. foreign policy should keep its eye on Europe and our region alongside its focus on global challenges. We encourage U.S. and Canadian companies to invest in Hungary, promote scientific co-operation and widen social and person-to-person relations, in which a sizable and successful Hungarian community in North America plays a pivotal role.

President Bush’s visit to Hungary in 2006 strengthened the relationship of trust, and the commemorations of 1956 gave a new and positive boost to Hungarian-U.S. and Hungarian-Canadian relations. A visible result of all of this is the draft memorandum on Hungarian citizens’ visa-free travel to the U.S., which is expected to be finalised in the near future.

Relations with Asia: the Asian continent has considerable weight in Hungarian foreign relations and diplomacy. We are developing enterprising, multi-faceted, economy-oriented foreign relations with Asia. Following the objectives set out in the Hungarian government’s programme, we are in the process of strengthening co-operation with fast-developing Asian countries. One particular aim is to improve competitiveness, reaching new markets for Hungarian companies and securing capital investments for modernising and revitalising the economy. We aim to boost political ties in every country of the region whose system of values is on a par with those of the European Union and Hungary’s democratic norms. Together with our EU partners, we set out to enhance democracy and gain ground for human rights. In co-operation with the Asian region, high-level meetings are of utmost importance. Such meetings have been regular over the past two years with China, India, Republic of Korea and Singapore. In the framework of the Hungarian Season organised in China in 2007 and 2008, we had a chance to present economic, tourism-related opportunities as well as Hungarian culture.

On the African continent Hungarian foreign policy mainly concerns the countries of the North African region. Our main aim is to deepen economic co-operation, to create a positive political atmosphere in which this co-operation takes root, involve the region in diversifying energy supplies as well as promoting Hungarian investments. One success is that Hungarian-African bilateral trade in 2006 exceeded one billion US dollars, a 40 percent increase compared to 2005. (Hungarian exports accounted for 95% of that amount). We have expanded our co-operation in tourism, education and culture. High-level meetings have contributed to enhanced economic co-operation. All our embassies in Africa operate as offices for commerce, too. In Black Africa, embassy-level relations are maintained with the Republic of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.

The Middle East and the Gulf region have affluent markets with huge excess capital that are in the closest proximity to Europe and which are within reach in terms of corporate action in Hungary. Ongoing economic relations with these regions are steadily expanding and play an important role in maintaining Hungary’s trade balance, in addition to contributing to energy supply in the long term. Hungary’s exports to the region totalled 1.4 billion U.S. dollars compared to imports of just below 50 million dollars. Annual exports to this region grew twice as fast as the rate of Hungary’s average total exports. In 2007, growth continued apace. Substantial Hungarian investments have been launched in the region, among them those brokered by Hungarian Oil Company, MOL.

Strengthening security and multilateral diplomacy with a broad outlook

The key to handling challenges - which are new or which already existed but have been intensified by globalisation – and to working out adequate answers lies in interpreting security comprehensively. This concept no longer means just military security in a traditional sense; it includes political, social, human and minority rights, economic, technological and even environmental issues. The security of our country is indivisible from a feeling of security by our citizens.

Such threats and challenges as international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international organised crime, the spread of infectious diseases over borders, growing illegal migration, food safety, or access to safe drinking water, man-made natural disasters, and climate change are all phenomena which to different degrees affect the whole of the global community. Solutions and action to combat them is difficult to administer without international players working together or without multilateral co-operation. For that reason Hungary’s primary interest and responsibility is to take an active role in global co-operation initiatives.

NATO and our security: the best guarantee for Hungary’s security and external protection is NATO, which tries to answer the security challenges of our time. Hungary participates in several NATO missions; Hungarian military units (and civilians) serve even in faraway missions, thus making a contribution to the establishment of global security and stability.

Hungary has pledged to permanently provide 1 000 men for foreign missions, including the provision of their logistics needs. The largest number of troops takes part in NATO missions, especially in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Hungary’s commitment to the goals of the alliance – creating security and stability worldwide – is underpinned by the fact that Hungary has its own Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province and has greatly increased its capacities and troops since they were originally deployed there in the autumn of 2006. In the course of 2008 Hungary plans to add another 100 men to the contingent in Afghanistan.

Our mission in the Balkans and particularly in Kosovo is even more important. Hungary as lead nation takes over the command of the KFOR multinational combat battalion which operates in Western Kosovo. Our long-term commitment to be active in the North Atlantic Alliance is highlighted by the decision to deploy the NATO Strategic Airlift Capability fleet at Pápa Airbase in Western Hungary.

Multilateral diplomacy and security: Hungary has found the most effective tool in dealing with global challenges; this is multilateralism or the strengthening of multilateral forums and enforcing international laws. The UN has a determining role and responsibility in maintaining international peace and security, in protecting human rights and basic freedoms and in dealing with global challenges. Hungary is proactive as regards UN activities, including taking part in peace promotion operations launched by the UN or in programmes of UN-accredited institutions. It is worth noting that Hungary is lobbying to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period of 2012-2013.

Hungary is not only an active participant of NATO and UN security operations, but also takes part in security-related co-operation in other frameworks. Earlier we discussed our participation in the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy, as well as in its Security and Defence Policy. In addition, within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Hungary contributes to democratic changes in member states, as well as to the enforcement of human rights and basic freedoms.

Hungary’s successes in multilateral diplomacy: Something we regard as a success is the fact that several international organisations have moved their regional or functional offices to Budapest: the European centre of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the administrative and service centre of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the FAO’s regional office for Europe and Central Asia, FAO’s Joint Service Centre and as of a recent decision and the European Union’s Institute for Innovation and Technology. As a result of hard lobbying, several Hungarian representatives have gained important international posts: Dr Mária Herczog was appointed member of the United Nation's Children's Rights Committee, Dr Imre Tarafás is vice-governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank, Miklós Haraszti is OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dr Judit Solymosi is President of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on Issues relating to the Protection of National Minorities, Dr István Valkár is General Director of the Danube Commission’s Secretariat, while István Venczel is OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

Hungary in the international development co-operation: Hungary and its international development arm supports the aims of the international donor community in line with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals – the efforts towards meeting global challenges with primary focuses on alleviating poverty, supporting disadvantaged regions, reducing hunger, epidemics and infectious diseases, securing education, women’s equality and sustainable development. After creating an adequate institutional background in line with European Union norms and identifying the main directions and branches of action for Hungary, we have completed several projects in developing countries. We are concentrating our efforts on our immediate region – Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova – due to our interests related to regional stability and development needs, and on Vietnam, because of our traditions of co-operation there. Our goal is to help create democratic state structures based on the observance of human rights in all 16 partner states, to reduce poverty by improving education and health care and modernising agricultural production. We have been responsible for large, co-ordinated development projects in Afghanistan - modernising medical facilities and classrooms, building production capacities.

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