Vojvodina, Serbia

The Hungarian community in Vojvodina represents a national minority in the Republic of Serbia, centred in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. It is a large and culturally rich community, whose members preserve and nurture the Hungarian language and culture in this region. The main political representative of the community is the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians.

The history of the Hungarian community in Vojvodina is intricately connected with the history of the South Hungarian region, that is the present northern part of Serbia. Community members have been preserving the unique culture and tradition of the Hungarian people, while actively participating in the social and political life of the local community.

Among the most important political aspirations of the Hungarians in Vojvodina are the achievement of the cultural autonomy and the acquisition of the Hungarian citizenship without having to leave the motherland. The National Council of the Hungarian National Minority, as a representative body of the Hungarians in Vojvodina, plays a key role in achieving the community’s cultural autonomy and in assuming founding rights over Hungarian cultural institutions. 

The goal of the Hungarians in Vojvodina is to preserve and promote the Hungarian culture and language and to ensure the survival and advancement of the community in the country of their birth.

After signing the Treaty of Trianon on 4 June 1920, Hungary lost two thirds of its territory. Today’s Vojvodina became a part of the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

The status of the Hungarian minority in Vojvodina between the two world wars was marked by hardships due to the policies such as to opt out of citizenship, loyalty oaths, name-analysis regulations, land reform, and restrictions on the education system. At the end of the Second World War, the Hungarians in Vojvodina became victims of the partisan terror.

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, a “bloody” period commenced, bringing wars in Croatia, Bosnia and ultimately the conflict in Kosovo. These events have had a negative effect on the position of the Hungarians in Vojvodina.

Starting in 2000, the position of the Hungarian community in Vojvodina has begun to gradually improve. One of the important milestones was the adoption of the Law on National Councils. It is particularly important to underscore the historic reconciliation between the Hungarians and Serbians.

In 2013, The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia condemned the crimes committed against the Hungarians and the Government that was led by Aleksandar Vučić annulled decisions that imposed collective guilt of Hungarians in Čurug, Žabalj and Mošorin. Without fierce advocacy and political strength of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, these achievements would not have been possible.

National Councils of National Minorities in the Republic of Serbia represent the institutional form of exercising collective rights of national minorities in the spheres of culture, education, information and the official use of the language and script. They are a constitutional category. Pursuant to the law, national councils have certain public powers that allow them to participate in decision-making processes, while in certain matters they have the authority to make decisions independently. They exercise their own competencies and have founding rights over educational, cultural and media institutions. They carry out their activities in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Rights and Freedoms of National Minorities, the Law on National Councils of National Minorities, and other relevant sectoral laws. Collective rights of the Hungarians in Vojvodina are exercised through the National Council of the Hungarian National Minority, which is directly elected for a four-year mandate by citizens who have voluntarily registered in the Hungarian electoral roll. The work of the national council is financed from the state budget - at republic, provincial and local level, and is additionally supported by the home country for implementing certain programmes.

There are public, private and church preschool institutions. Preschool education in the Hungarian language and/or bilingual preschool education is organised in 132 facilities across 78 settlements within 27 local self-governments. Primary education in the Hungarian language is available in 74 public schools across 28 municipalities. Secondary education in the Hungarian language is provided in 35 public schools located in the territory of 12 municipalities. Regarding higher education, a distinction is made between public and private universities and colleges.

According to the Law on the Official Use of Languages and Scripts, persons belonging to national minorities have the right to the official use of their mother tongue. The official use of the Hungarian language is provided in the field of education, culture, public media, administration, the judiciary, in functioning of municipal assemblies, the assembly, as well as for display of public signage and place name signs. In Vojvodina, out of a total of 45 local self-governments, the Hungarian language is in the official use, at full capacity, in 28 municipalities, and in an additional four municipalities across 9 settlements.

The Hungarian community in Vojvodina exercises its collective minority rights through the National Council of the Hungarian National Minority. This community implements its legal powers within cultural institutions of special significance (44 in total). The National Council holds founding rights over numerous public institutions and has independently established 14 private institutions. In Vojvodina, there are 776 cultural centres and associations with a distinctly national character, as well as 62 institutions and associations dedicated to preserving the national identity. There are three professional Hungarian theatres and three additional professional stages operating, along with a number of cultural centres and umbrella organisations.

Among the Hungarian-language media in Serbia, there are both commercial and public service outlets.
Radio Novi Sad and Radio Television of Vojvodina are financed from state resources (subscription fees) and offer programmes in the Hungarian language. Pannon RTV, managed by the “Pannónia” Foundation, is one of the most significant electronic media outlets in Vojvodina. The most important print media are the daily newspaper “Magyar Szó” and the weekly “Hét Nap”, both founded and published by the National Council of the Hungarian National Minority. In addition, there are privately owned media outlets in the Hungarian language.

In the Republic of Serbia, since the 2006 parliamentary elections, the electoral threshold of 5% or 3% does not apply to national minority parties. Instead, they must surpass the so-called natural threshold to secure parliamentary seats. This threshold is determined by dividing the total number of valid votes by the number of parliamentary mandates, and at the national level, depending on voter turnout, it ranges between 10,000 and 18,000 votes. The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians currently has around 14,000 members, approximately 65,000 voters, 6 representatives in the National Assembly, 9 representatives in the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and 157 local councilors. From the Fidesz-KDNP list, there is one representative in the European Parliament from Vojvodina, for the third time. In the Government of the Republic of Serbia, we have 8 state secretaries, vice-president of the provincial government, secretary, the president of the Assembly of AP Vojvodina, deputy secretary, assistant secretaries, as well as 3 municipal presidents - in Bačka Topola, Kanjiža, and Senta. Additionally, the Hungarian community is present in a large number of local self-governments and has an effective National Council of the Hungarian National Minority.