Admission of western Ukraine’s area as “traditionally Hungarian” to protect the rights of national minorities was among Budapest’s 11 demands for Ukraine’s accession to the EU, according to Ukrainian and Hungarian media.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s office was referring to Ukraine’s westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast (region), where Hungarians accounted for more than 10 per cent of the population according to the 2001 census and earlier data.
Despite the fact that a similar provision already exists in the current Ukrainian legislation, Budapest has demanded that all settlements in Transcarpathia be automatically recognised as “traditionally Hungarian.” This also applies to those towns and villages where Hungarians have never lived historically.
The Orbán government also advocated the abolition of the 10% rule. It argues that even if a small number of people have lived in an area traditionally, it should be considered “Hungarian” land. Budapest further requested that Kyiv not hold a vote on the issue, but grant the “historically Hungarian” status automatically.
However, the Hungarian government insists that only the 2001 census data should be used for the purpose, even though the number of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia has almost halved since then. The pivotal point is that Budapest refers to this paragraph as the key of 11 demands.
Baloha’s arrest
Recently, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) searched the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Mukachevo, Andriy Baloha. This sparked concern among the elite in western Ukraine.
Andriy is the son of Ukrainian People’s Deputy Viktor Baloha, who is considered by some to be the “owner of Transcarpathia.” Therefore, fulfilling Hungary’s demands could further aggravate the situation in the region and destabilise the war-torn Ukraine.
Baloha was sent to jail by the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) with the alternative of paying a bail of 30 million hryvnias. However, he was released on 27 June after paying the corresponding amount, according to local media.
