Hungary’s Europe Policy
History and Current Sensitivities
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Hungary has always been an integral part of Europe. Since 2004, it has been a member of the European Union. Among the general population, awareness of being citizens of Europe is weak; within the political class, there is a lack of expertise and readiness to focus intensively on European politics. The executive, however, successfully organized Hungary’s EU presidency in the first half of 2011. The results are ambivalent: the Roma strategy is positive. But among the European public, the presidency was a debacle. The dispute over the media law and the new constitution cast a shadow on the presidency. Indeed, the path Hungary pursues in domestic policy will decide its future position in the EU as well.
(Osteuropa 12/2011, pp. 185–198)