1.1 million people living in #Romania declare themselves Hungarian. Why is this, and where are they?

In two Romanian regions, Hungarians are a majority (74 & 85% of the pop.)

They're in #Transylvania, in the middle of the #Carpathians. This mountain range divides the Romanian territory.

These Hungarian communities have lived here since this area was part of the Kingdom of Hungary

It’s not the only case. After WWI, #Hungary lost 2/3 of its former territory.

From: https://europeanperspective.substack.com/p/hungarians-in-the-carpathians-european

How was it to grow as a Hungarian in #Romania? I talked with Gabor, 40, from #Transylvania

His grandparents never moved, they were born in #Hungary. But borders did, and that area is now Romania

As a kid, Gabor spoke better Romanian than his grandparents, who struggled to learn. However, the majority of the population of Transylvania has been Romanian since the 19th century

"As kids, we learned each other's language just by playing together. Sports clubs were mixed"

https://europeanperspective.substack.com/p/hungarians-in-the-carpathians-european

Romanians see #Transylvania very differently from Hungarians

105 y. ago, the modern Romanian state was created when Transylvania was added. A time for celebration!

But for #Hungary, the loss of this territory (and others) meant the end of the Kingdom: it's a time of mourning

Relations between the countries are still difficult. Since #Romania entered the EU in 2007 there haven't been bilateral talks

How can we explain the current conflict? We'll see tomorrow

Or here: https://europeanperspective.substack.com/p/hungarians-in-the-carpathians-european

How to explain the conflict between #Hungary and #Romania about #Transylvania? As an *outsider*, I think of it as a cycle

1) Hungarian populations in Romania complain
Romanian law says that a minority above 20% is entitled to special language rights. This is not always implemented

2) Hungary intervenes.
It has a national plan to support Hungarians abroad. Hungary pursues "unification of the nation" (beyond borders). It funds churches, sports and media outlets for Hungarians outside Hungary. They issued passports for the Hungarian minority abroad, and with them, the right to vote.

At this moment, we have "a system in which Hungarians can live their life as it would be in Romania, but in Hungary" (quoted from researcher Tamás Kiss).

4) Way in for nationalism and populism

Hungarian players in the Romanian football league are insulted. The Romanian president once accused Hungary of wanting to reclaim Transylvania. From Hungary, they retorted: "we never said Transylvania was Romanian".

Politicians behaving undiplomatically create a snowball effect in society. This reinforces step 1: Hungarians complain that their situation is not good.

How it is to be a Hungarian living in Slovakia? I talked with Miklós Krivánsky, Hungarian from Košice (Slovakia) to find out

8% of the Slovakian population are Hungarian. In some border cities, over 50%. But numbers are declining

Miklós: "Those who go to study or work in #Hungary never come back"

Also (edited: describing the identity dynamics): "Kids born from Hungarian-Slovak mixed families in #Slovakia might feel more Slovak than Hungarian"

In #Slovakia, it's possible to attend Hungarian-speaking primary and high schools.

There's even one University: J. Selye University (SELYE JÁNOS EGYETEM), offering degrees in Teacher Education, Economics, and Theology.

Hungarians in Slovakia would like to have more independence when it comes to organise education and culture. We're entering now into politics (let's continue tomorrow).

Or you can read the full article at The European Perspective:

https://europeanperspective.substack.com/p/hungarians-in-the-carpathians-european

#Hungary

"Autonomy" means something different in Spain (having certain powers) than in #Slovakia (a region has a plan for its future independence)

This is due to Slovakia's history

(Removed, see next post:"The country itself became autonomous before parting ways with Czechia")

Why is this relevant? #Hungarians living in Southern Slovakia would like "autonomy" over the territories where they are a majority

But they can't say "#autonomy", so they use the word "self-government" instead

#selfgovernment

@rsmedia About the other topic you mentioned

I talked with a Hungarian from Kosice. I understand he would like to keep on living where he was born. He is not nostalgic, doesn't support Hungary's government

I understand this is a sensitive issue and I might be missing local aspects of the debate. Having said this, I have the impression that this person was advocating for higher levels of self-government, and not anything else.

Because you're right re: pre Trianon is not going to happen.

@rsmedia The WW2 argument. Should it still apply today? People living there today were not present then. The way I frame the argument today is not as a discussion among states (as in the WW2 setup) but rather as a matter of ethnic minorities.

Regarding minorities in the UK. I don't think they are a relative majority in any district. If they were, I would not be surprised to see emerge similar demands.

@rsmedia I'd like to underline the wording you have used here: "Hungarian self government in Slovakia". Put like this, I see it would be difficult to convince Slovakia to grant it.

With a different spin, the mention could be to "self government *of a region*". That would make it more palatable (I assume!) and it would probably elicit more international support (it would look like other regions).

@rsmedia Before assigning intentions to my words (whether I try to justify some tendencies or others), please consider my background.

I'm Spanish. We have 17 autonomous regions plus 2 autonomous cities. Even in Medieval times, under Muslim rule, it was fragmented in taifas. Then, Christian kingdoms came, fragmented as well. The country is full of mountains (which generates divisions). Discussions about competencies of autonomous regions are our daily bread in the news.

@rsmedia I live in Italy. Here, Val d'Aosta, a fully mountainous region, has a lot of autonomy. Also, Trentino-Alto Adige, also, the islands, Sicily and Sardinia, they all have special autonomous considerations.

The geography and political setup and borders of the places where I have been raised and where I live are completely different from those in the Carpathian basin.

It seems that when I say "self-government", I don't have the same fears of secession or distrust that you do.

@Veza85UE

Exactly.

@rafa_font

As the other debater pointed out - autonomous regions in Spain or Italy are full of Spanish people or Italians...and last time I've checked Basque attempts for autonomy are still not welcomed warmly by the Spanish government, neither are the Catalonia's attempts.
So, the comparison doesn't really work in this case.
And in Slovakia we do have also local governments apart from the central one, they can use #eu fundings for projects etc...

@rsmedia @Veza85UE Well, now it should be me adding the nuance about my home and host countries :)

93% of the population in Südtirol are Italians, yes. But look at this map of languages spoken.

Even though there's no "Austrian majority" in the region, there's a "German-speaking majority".

@rsmedia @Veza85UE About Catalonia and Basque Country.

Attempts for "autonomy", or to be more precise, for increased autonomy, are common, and they're met positively by the government many times. A recent case: Catalonia retrieves the control of train infrastructure, trains, and budget. Due to a political agreement between a regionalist party and the government.

What is not welcome are attempts for "independence".

So, in Spain, it's very different to be "autonomous" than to be "independent"