Hungary/Slovakia: Worthless Passports
June 29, 2010Advertisement
In a no-holds-barred move, Hungary's new conservative-populist prime minister Viktor Orban has allowed ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia to apply for Hungarian passports - without informing the Slovak government beforehand. As expected, the Slovaks have reacted aggressively, threatening to strip ethnic Hungarians who take up the offer of their Slovak citizenship. Yet the whole purpose of the passports appears senseless. Not only will these people not enjoy voting rights in Hungary; they will also have no claim to welfare benefits there.