Delegates -
It is truly an honor to welcome you to YMGE. Our time together will give each of us new questions, novel thoughts, and fast friends. I look forward to using thoughtful discussion to consider the critical issues of minority rights and xenophobia in Hungary; it should be our goal to have devised innovative, practical solutions to the oppression of minorities in our nation before week's end. I look forward to embarking on this quest for common ground and concrete solutions. If you have any questions or would like to talk, please do not hesitate to email me at simon.cooper@yale.edu.
- Simon, Ezra Stiles, Yale College '20
In an inflammatory State of the Nation Address millions of Hungarians listened to their Prime Minister proclaim, "We shall let in true refugees: Germans, Dutch, French, and Italians, terrified politicians and journalists who here in Hungary want to find the Europe they have lost in their homelands."
Prime Minister Victor Orbán is the leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant Fidesz Party of Hungary. His callous statements, alongside an 18 million USD taxpayer funded program, fueled campaigns to distort facts about the refugee crisis. These circumstances have propagated xenophobic sentiments in Hungary. The European Union is concerned about the change in Hungary. Recalling the hundreds of thousands of displaced Hungarians that obtained sanctuary sixty years ago, the EU has tasked you, members of the Hungarian Cabinet, to devise a plan to counter the country’s xenophobia.
Cabinet/Committee History
Before we delve into our topic, let's talk about Hungary’s political structure. Hungary’s government functions as a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic. What does this mean? Hungary’s most important governmental positions include a President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of the National Assembly. The Hungarian President is the head of the state. The Government of Hungary exercises executive power, it is led by the Prime Minister and composed of various ministers. The Prime Minister is elected by national assembly and serves as the head of government and exercises executive power. S/he holds the most power in Hungary. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party with the most seats in parliament, and heads the Hungarian National Cabinet – aka this committee. The Prime Minister selects cabinet ministers and has the exclusive right to dismiss them. The Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance is the current majority party in the Hungarian cabinet.
The Hungarian Cabinet includes the Prime Minister, Deputy Minister, Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, Minister of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office, two Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister of Interior, Minister of Justice, Minister of National Economy, Minister of Human Resources, Minister of National Development, Minister of Agriculture, two Ministers of Defense, and Minister Without the Portfolio (responsible for the planning, construction and commissioning of the two new blocks at Paks Nuclear Power Plant). Each of you will represent one of the YMGE-wide interpretations of these ministerial positions throughout the conference, namely: Culture and Social Affairs, Economic and Financial Affairs, Education and Youth, Employment, Labor Policy, and Consumer Affairs, Environment, Food and Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Health, Home Affairs, Immigration and Refugees, and Justice.
Topic History
Our topic focuses upon recent xenophobic actions in response to the rise of refugees in Hungary. However, present Hungarian nationals are descendants of migrants from across Europe and Asia. Let's explore the current migrant crisis by looking into Hungary's migrant and minority rights history.
Minority Rights in Hungary-2000
Indigenous Hungarians entered present day Hungary in the late 9th century. During the Middle Ages, the Hungarians established kingdoms, and in 1526, Hungary was incorporated within the Habsburg Empire which it remained a part of until 1867. Following the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 17-18th century, the modern ethnic and religious composition of Hungary developed. The Hungarian state had a strong multi-ethnic character, with only half of it population natively Hungarian. It was at this time that Hungary became known to host many different ethnic backgrounds such as the Croats, Germans, Jews, Roma, Romanians, Serbs and Slovaks.
In an attempt to force assimilation and unite the country, 18th century Hungarian rulers banned the terms of the name “Cigány” (Hungarian) or “Zigeuner” (German) (“Gypsy”) and required the terms ‘new peasant” and ‘new Hungarian’ to be used instead. Restrictions were placed on marriages of Romani people, the largest minority in Hungary. Laws were put into place that ordered Romani children to be taken away from their parents and raised by peasant Hungarian families so as to remove any other tribal attachments. Along with the prohibition of the Romani language, the forced assimilation of Romani people in Hungary proved successful by the early 1900s. These are the first examples of xenophobic policies in Hungary's recent history.
The end of World War I brought along the revision of borders, and in 1920, the Treaty of Trianon was passed. This appropriated almost two-thirds of Hungary to neighboring states, leaving Hungary with a largely homogenous ethnic and religious population. Between 1920 and World War II, Hungary implemented policies geared towards assimilation towards the remaining minorities. During World War II, more than 10,000 Romas (Romanis) and 600,000 Jews were deported and murdered. Following World War II, the Hungarian government began to forcibly move Slovak and German populations into minority settlements. For the minority populations remaining, the Hungarian government authorized bilingual signposts in areas of the minority settlement. However, this policy was reversed in the 1950s, when Hungary began to practice ethnic homogenization. Hungarian was taught in minority schools, and the presence of cultural groups began to decline. Hungarian was the only permitted language when dealing with authorities, making it difficult for minority families to live in Hungary without beginning to assimilate. These policies persisted until the 1970s when minority language began to be promoted at both the elementary and secondary school level.
In the late 1980s, there was a sharp increase in the number of minority organizations and a Secretariat of National and Ethnic Minorities was established within in the Hungarian Ministerial Council to coordinate and oversee policy. This decade also saw the election of a conservative coalition government that championed for the rights of minorities in Hungary. In 1993, Hungary passed the Minority Act was passed granting, “All groups of people who have lived in the territory of the Republic of Hungary for at least one century, who represent a numerical minority in the country’s population, whose members are Hungarian citizens, who are distinguished from the rest of the population by their own languages, cultures, and traditions, who demonstrate a sense of belonging together that is aimed at preserving all of these and at expressing and protecting the interests of their historical communities are national and ethnic minorities recognized as constituent components of the state.” This act defined the Bulgarian, Roma, Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serb, Slovak, Slovene and Ukrainian peoples as national or ethnic minorities native to Hungary. The Act instigated Hungary’s long standing tradition of protecting minorities. The passing of this act began a movement towards accepting minority culture and ideology. Minority viewpoints began to be increasingly taken into consideration in Hungarian government. For example, the Act on Radio and Television Broadcasting mandated that the media prepare programs presenting the culture and life of minorities and broadcast some programs in minority languages. The growing awareness for minorities eased social tensions.
As part of the 1993 Minority Act, all recognized minorities were entitled to establish Minority Self Governments (MSG) which provided minorities with a separate channel to handle cultural and educational affairs. The Act, which included prohibitions against assimilation, discrimination and harassment, also made minority-language classes compulsory in schools when demanded by more than eight students.
Minority Rights and the European Union
In 2004, Hungary became a full member of the European Union. After a meeting in 1993, with the European Council, Hungary was advised to improve its minority rights protection laws before joining the EU. Hungary's 1993 Minority Act aided in its acceptance to the EU. Joining the EU also required Hungary to transpose EU equality directives into national law.
Factors to Consider
Hungary’s 1993 Minority Act is widely considered a model of good practice and path setter in Europe for minority protection. Regardless of Hungary’s progress, two key issues still exist. First, Hungarian minority policies favor ethnic Hungarian minorities outside of Hungary rather than benefit ethnic minorities living in Hungary, as is illustrated by a referendum held in 2004 on extending Hungarian citizenship to ethnic Hungarians abroad. Although the referendum failed, the ideology still holds true with some Hungarian parties. Second, guaranteed representation for the minorities in Hungarian Parliament has not been mandated, although it is a matter which regularly appears on the agendas of Parliament and the Government.
Current Situation:
Rising Xenophobia in Hungary
The Syrian Civil War is the world's largest refugee crisis since World War II. With over 12 million displaced, many countries surrounding Syria have stepped up to accommodate the surging migrant population.
However, Hungary has taken extreme measures to prevent the flow of refugees. Staunchly against any form of migration into Hungary, Prime Minister Orban has gone so far as to request money from the EU to build a wall. It is especially concerning to witness Hungary, a country that celebrated the fall of the Iron Curtain, react so strongly against a migrant crisis that shows many parallels to a crisis their own people faced less than 50 years ago.
Hungary’s inability to accept refugees isn’t the only thing concerning the European Union. More broadly, increased xenophobic actions through hate crimes, anti-immigrant and anti-Romani rhetoric, and policies preventing the free flow of people endanger the EU’s values of equality and freedom for all. Hungary’s civil liberty laws have a lot of room for improvement. As ministers in the Hungarian cabinet you are tasked with creating a comprehensive solution to the migrant crisis in Hungary- baring in mind the EU’s desire for more open borders in Hungary.
Equal Treatment Act of 2003
In 2003, Hungary passed the Act on Equal Treatment and the Promotion of Equal Opportunities. The law prohibited discrimination based on,“gender, race, colour, nationality, national or ethnic affiliation, mother tongue, disability, health state, religion or creed, political opinion, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, social origin, property status, the conditions of employment (part time or fixed-term employment), membership in an interest protecting organization or any other situation or characteristic feature.” The act established the Equal Treatment Authority, an independent administrative organization that was set up to receive complaints of unequal treatment. In 2005, the ETA had received 500 complaints in one year. Of these 500 cases, the ETA determined that employers had been illegally discriminated in nine cases. As reparations, fines were imposed on the perpetrating organization. To raise awareness for the repercussion of discriminatory events, the ETA launched national campaigns to encourage discussions on the issue. Although the ETA was a considerable success for the first few years, a 2008 country report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance noted that the ETA created a more lengthy, bureaucratic process for complaints.
Escalating Violence against Romani Peoples and Migrants
On June 9, 2015, the Council of Europe published an alarming report on the need for action against prejudice in Hungary. Over 61 attacks occurred against Roma people between January 2008 and September 2012, thereby making violence against Roma people, the biggest reported problem in Hungary. Paramilitary groups storm the streets and conduct illegal protests and patrols in villages to intimidate members of the Roma population. A disproportionate number of Roma children are sent to schools for children with learning disabilities.Other minority groups are also the target of violence. Refugees and Asylum seekers have been victims of xenophobia and denied entry into Hungary. Refugees are left homeless, sleeping in public space, which is a criminal offense. Over a fifth of asylum seekers are placed in detention facilities with incredibly poor living conditions.
The Council of Europe evaluated the National Social Inclusion Strategy a Hungarian endeavour to create a comprehensive plan to reduce those living in poverty and pay special attention to the Roma population. The strategy has had little impact so far, and does not address segregation in education. Recommendations to end xenophobia include asking Hungarian authorities to punish hate speech and establish a policy against segregation in school.
The Fundamental Rights Agency, an EU mandated group that monitors racism and xenophobia across member states of the EU, has acknowledged the presence of increasingly anti-Semitic and anti-Romani groups in HUngary. Between 2008 and 2009 there were 15 incidents of Roma houses being firebombed and 2 instances where hand grenades were used to harm Roma families.
Startling reports of violence perpetrated by Hungarian officials against migrants is documented by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Migrants reported being woken up with pepper spray, forced to remove their shoes and stand in the snow, and being beaten for hours at a time. The EU is concerned with these reports and requests that you address them immediately.
Suggestions for Further Research
As Hungarian Ministers, the EU has tasked you to develop enactable solutions to ending the increasingly strong xenophobic rhetoric and actions in Hungary. This will be a particularly tough task as the majority of ministers in the Hungarian Cabinet do not support this change. Thus, you will have to come up with a solution that appeases both your party affiliation and the EU’s decree.
To understand the complexity of this issue, do research on your assigned position. What has your assigned minister done on the topic at hand? Within the Hungarian Cabinet, each minister has aligned themselves with the Fidesz or KDPF party. Only 3 ministers have chosen to remain independent. While crafting your position paper and directives in committee do your best to represent your party affiliation. Most of the ministers in the Hungarian Cabinet do not support a change in xenophobic sentiments. However, it will be important to amend your position to enact the change the EU wishes to see. If a change does not occur, the EU has threatened to end all funding apportioned to the Hungarian government.
Relevant Links:
http://www.politico.eu/article/hungary-battle-over-migration-has-only-just-begun/
Questions to Consider
What laws and/or programs can be implemented to change the discourse around minorities in Hungary?
What are long-term and short-term solutions to the crisis?
How can you ensure the implementation and efficacy of your proposed solutions?
Where can funding for these programs come from?
What incentives should be created to guide the Hungarian people through the process?
Simon is extremely grateful to Aaminah Bhat, Branford, Yale College '18 for creating this topic guide and entrusting him with it.
