Nation-Building and Contested Identities: Romanian & Hungarian ...

ZOLTÁN KÁNTORwhile being able to work legally in Hungary. The opposition (the left-wingHungarian Socialist Party and the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats)challenged this view and argued that this law, since it offers the possibilityto work legally, will increase emigration to Hungary. According to thisargument, those who work for several months in Hungary will have thepossibility to find out how to settle in Hungary. A further disagreementconcerns the legalization of illegal work. The critiques of the law assertthat cheap illegal work will be preferred both by employees and employers,and, as a consequence, nothing will change. However, both argumentsare speculative. Even if public opinion polls support one or anotheroption, from a sociological perspective none of these positions can be confirmedor disproved. 32Two further questions are also central to the debate. The first concernsHungary’s forthcoming integration into the EU, which is often perceived asa threat to Hungarians living in neighboring countries. Because the law hasno provisions for the period after Hungary’s accession to the EU, the Hungarianpopulation in neighboring countries is afraid that traveling to or settlingin Hungary will be very difficult. Such a perception influences muchmore the decisions regarding emigration. Needless to say, the existence orinexistence of the “Status Law” will have a minor influence on individualdecisions regarding emigration. The second question concerns Hungary’sincreasing demand of skilled workers. Recently, the Prime Minister of Hungaryalso resorted to this argument:Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on 31 May [2001] told a Budapest conferenceentitled “The Hungarian Model” that Hungary will have to attract laborfrom neighboring countries to fuel its soaring economy. He pointed out thatwithout foreign labor, the country’s supply of quality labor will be unsatisfactorywithin four to five years. 33Many European states face similar problems. The case of Hungary isdifferent only in the sense that there is a large number of people who,culturally and linguistically, can be easily integrated into the Hungariansociety. On the one hand, there is a preference to keep Hungariansfrom neighboring countries in their home country, on the other hand,economic reasons may force Hungary to increase the number of immigrants.It is probable that Hungary will prefer Hungarians from neighboringcountries over non-Hungarian potential immigrants.Even if politicians avoid discussing this issue, it is absolutely clear thatthe practical decisions concerning the implementation of the law pose thequestion: Who is Hungarian in the neighboring countries? The legislators’intention is to include every Hungarian living in neighboring countries, but264