Naturalisation in Hungary: Exclusion by ethnic preference

Judit Tóth, Zsolt Kortvelyesi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Hungary has long used a naturalisation regime that separates applicants without preferences (‘normal’applicants) from those considered to be ethnic Hungarians, who enjoy preferential treatment in citizenship law. In 2010, this trend of separating the two tracks got new life with the amendment that, among other things, abolished the residency requirement for persons of Hungarian ethnicity. This article assesses the permissibility and the possible limits of such preferential regimes under the non-discrimination rules in human rights and EU law. Due to the statistical evidence and exclusionary impacts of ethnic preference it concludes that two factors could challenge Hungary’s current policy in this area.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)54-74
Number of pages21
JournalOpen Citizenship
Volume2
Issue number1
StatePublished - 2011

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