Accepting existing borders
The case of Transcarpathia

By

György Farkas	Éva Kenéz

Many people feel uncomfortable within existing borders in Europe. Can borders be changed - many ask? Not very likely.

But how then can the situation be improved for these dissatisfied people living within the current borders?

Let us look at the case of Transcarpathia in the Ukraine:

It is situated in geographical centre of Europe and bordering on Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland:

The chain of Carpathian Mountains is the natural edge of the region in the north-east. The location and the climate of the region is very favourable. It's lowlands are fertile fields, orchards and vineyards. Its area is 12,800 sq. km., with about 1,280,000 inhabitants. Ukrainians are in an overwhelming majority (78.4%), the biggest minority is Hungarian (12.5%).

A possible solution for the given problem could be examined in the context of contemporary euro political situation.

Concerning the Ukraine the existing conditions can be improved following the integration of Central-European countries. The Transcarpathian area could be a very suitable corridor between Western and Eastern Europe. A specific economic region is developing with many new possibilities for co-operation. The intention to promote cross-border business collaboration also meets the relevant policies of the Hungarian government. Major goals include reviving different businesses, enterprises or agricultural relationships, with special emphasis on joint ventures that creates jobs and assist the Hungarian community in acquiring private property. There have been, for example, more that 110 Ukrainian-Hungarian joint ventures in Transcarpathia. Regional exhibitions in the Ukraine, and shows and conferences organized in northeastern Hungary are notable, because corporate relations which evolve as part of the co-operation between these regions may serve as a basis for expanding turnover.

Clause 10 of the Ukrainian Constitution adopted on 28 June, 1996 states, "in the Ukraine the free development, use and protection of national minority languages is safeguarded", while Clause 11 says that "the state promotes (...) the development of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious characteristics of all the original nations and national minorities of the Ukraine". The Hungarian government has been providing financial support for training, partial training and the further training of Hungarian students and teachers in Hungary and to support the Transcarpathian Teacher Training College. Both sides are opened and prepared for development of educational institutes and support of NGO initiatives.

Historical background

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Transcarpathia (Zakaraptska oblast') became one of the regions of the independent Ukraine. Changing the citizenship for the Ukrainians in 1992 wasn't a novelty for the natives. After 1000 years in the Hungarian Kingdom (Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867) in the period between 1920 and 1992 the older generations were citizens of three different countries: Czecho-Slovak Republic, Hungary and USSR after 2nd World War.

Historical storms of the 20th century prepared a good ground for a borderrevisional ideology. Now we can give a certain answer that it's impossible.

Changing of borders is first of all a matter of two involved countries.

In this case both Hungary and the Ukraine would probably decide against it. Obviously a country, like Hungary which is just overcoming economic crisis, wouldn't be in favour of attaching an underdeveloped region and creating a minority problem for itself.

Transcarpathia became a part of USSR for strategically reasons. But Ukraine would not give up this region. Moreover, the Hungarian minority doesn't cause a big problem (they are only about 200,000 while the whole population in Ukraine is about 52,000,000 people).

In the bilateral treaty signed in 1991 both countries "confirm[ed] that have no territorial claims on each other and will not raise any such claims in the future" (Treaty on Good-neighborly Relations and Friendly Co-operation between the Republic of Hungary and Ukraine, Article 2).

Although, there were historians who saw a possibility of border changing during the collapse of the Soviet Union.

There are examples in European history where the population itself decided on its borders by a plebiscite. If such a referendum were organize now in Transcarpathia, surely the greatest part of its population would vote for Hungary. The reasons are evident: everybody wants higher standards of living. In 1991, at the same time as a referendum was held on Ukrainian sovereignty, a local referendum was held in Transcarpathia on special self government in the region to be set up. In both cases the vast majority of the population supported the ideas (draft proposals were set out following those referenda and they have not been adopted at a higher level to date). Anyone is aware that most problems of the Hungarian national minority are due to existing economic difficulties in the Ukraine, in most cases these are social problems.

To return to our point of departure. How can we improve the living standards of these dissatisfied people in their existing situation through the integration of Europe?

The European Union intends to integrate the central-European countries as well. Then Hungarian minority problems in those countries will probably be solved as a result of this process.

It has to be said that Transcarpathia, due to its natural endowments and suitable geographical position, in co-operation with the central-European countries, would be a perfect area for an ongoing tendency to create higher standards of living, and it could give good conditions for the general development in the whole region.