Pál Csáky: The EU must act against the Beneš decrees!

Pál Csáky, a prominent figure representing Hungarians in Slovakia, is calling on the European Union to confront the controversial Beneš decrees. These decrees, enacted after World War II, led to the expulsion and disenfranchisement of ethnic Germans and Hungarians from Czechoslovakia.

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The European Union could force Slovakia, or even the Czech Republic, to back down on the issue of the decrees.

Csáky believes the EU has the power to compel Slovakia and the Czech Republic to address the decrees. "The European Union could force Slovakia, or even the Czech Republic, to back down on the issue of the decrees," he stated. He noted that an ongoing monitoring process exists, to which his organization has submitted its views. Csáky emphasized that the European Commission, in its role as the guardian of EU law, has a duty to act. "Brussels cannot afford to assist in nationality-based property confiscation in a member state, nor allow an EU citizen to risk imprisonment for objecting to it."

Csáky drew a parallel with EU actions against Hungary and Poland, suggesting the EU can be assertive when it chooses. However, he lamented the diminished political representation of Hungarians in Slovakia. Unlike countries with significant Hungarian populations abroad, the Hungarian party in Slovakia has been marginalized, failing to secure parliamentary seats in recent elections, with current polls indicating no change.

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Brussels cannot afford to assist in nationality-based property confiscation in a member state, nor allow an EU citizen to risk imprisonment for objecting to it.

He identified the "disintegration and declassification" of the Hungarian community in Slovakia as the primary problem. Csáky expressed concern that young people are struggling to find adequate responses to contemporary challenges, suggesting the "Felvidék Hungarian spirit" was healthier in the 1980s and 90s. While acknowledging that the actual number of Hungarians might be higher than official census data suggests, due to fears about data anonymity leading many to skip the nationality question, he pointed to the spread of a liberal ethos, partly influenced by the former Most–Híd party, as contributing to a sense of "self-abandonment." Many no longer prioritize identifying as Hungarian, a trend also observed in teacher training programs for Hungarians in Slovakia. Csáky noted that a third of their voters cast ballots for Slovak parties or abstain from voting altogether.

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The biggest problem is the disintegration and declassification of the Hungarian community in Slovakia.