Croatian-Hungarian relations

Croatia	Hungary

The foreign relations betweenCroatia andHungary are bound together by shared history, political development and geography. The two states established diplomatic relations on 18 January 1992 following thedissolution of Yugoslavia and theindependence of Croatia.

In 1102, the previously independentKingdom of Croatia andKingdom of Hungary enteredpersonal union and the two were henceforth ruled by the same monarch. Following theOttoman conquests and a disastrous defeat at theBattle of Mohács in 1526,Croatian nobility elected the Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand I as the new king of Croatia. The Hungarian nobility was divided, but theHabsburgs annexed theKingdom of Hungary, keeping Croatia and Hungary under a single crown. During theHungarian Revolution of 1848, Croatia sided with the Austrians, so the CroatianBanJosip Jelačić helped Austria to defeat the Hungarian forces in 1849, ushering in a period ofGermanisation. By the 1860s, the failure of this policy became apparent, leading to theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the creation of apersonal union between the crowns of theAustrian Empire and theKingdom of Hungary. The issue of Croatia's status was resolved by theCroatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, when the kingdoms ofCroatia andSlavonia were united into theKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Following the breakup ofAustria-Hungary after its defeat inWorld War I, theCroatian Parliament declared independence on 29 October 1918 and decided to join the newly formedState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, ending Habsburg rule and the personal union with Hungary after 816 years. Through theTreaty of Trianon, Hungary lostMeđimurje County and the southern part ofBaranya to Croatia. With Croatia forming part ofYugoslavia after both World Wars, relations between the two states in theinterwar period andCold War have been defined byrelations between Hungary and Yugoslavia. Both Croatia and Hungarycollaborated with theAxis powers inWorld War II and came under post-warcommunist party rule. Following therevolutions of 1989 and breakup of Yugoslavia, Hungary recognised Croatian independence with the rest of theEuropean Economic Community in 1992, and supported Croatia during theCroatian War of Independence.

Croatian and Hungarian high-ranking officials usually meet several times a year. Trade between Croatia and Hungary amounted $1.020 bln in 2012,^[1][2] largely consisting of Hungarian exports to Croatia. Hungarian tourists contribute significantly to Croatian tourism; in 2009, a total of 323,000 visited Croatia, including the Hungarian Prime MinisterViktor Orbán who has spent his summer holidays inDalmatia for last few decades. Both countries coordinate the development of cross-border infrastructure.Pan-European corridors Vb and Vc connect Budapest to theAdriatic Sea viaZagreb andOsijek. Both countries have sizable minorities living across their common border, and both have passed laws to protect theirminority rights.

Croatia and Hungary are parties to 96 bilateral treaties and members of a number of multinational organizations, includingNATO and theEuropean Union. Croatia has an embassy inBudapest a general consulate inPécs and a consulate inNagykanizsa, while Hungary has an embassy inZagreb, a general consulate inOsijek and honorary consulates inRijeka,Split, andDubrovnik.

This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2017)

Croatia andHungary established diplomatic relations on 16 and 18 January 1992, after Hungary recognised theindependence of Croatia on 15 January 1992.^[3][4] As of December 2011, Croatia maintains an embassy inBudapest (headed byambassador Ivan Bandić), aconsulate general inPécs and a consulate inNagykanizsa. The Nagykanizsa consulate is led by anhonorary consul.^[5] Hungary maintains an embassy inZagreb and consulates inRijeka andSplit. The embassy is headed by ambassador Gábor Iván; the offices also include an army and air attaché office in the Republic of Croatia (headed by László Hajas) and the Office for Economic Affairs of the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in the Republic of Croatia (headed by András Péter Závoczky, Counselor for Economy and Trade).^[6]

Croatian and Hungarian high-ranking officials (including heads of state, prime ministers and foreign ministers) meet several times a year. In addition, Croatian and Hungarian governments have occasionally held joint sessions since January 2006.^[7][8]

Trade between Croatia and Hungary amounted to €625,083 in 2009, a decrease from €894,270 in 2008. In 2009 Croatian exports to Hungary reached €132,474, while Hungarian exports to Croatia were worth €492,609. Overall, the 2009 trade volume represented 2.75 percent of total Croatianforeign trade.^[11] Croatian–Hungarian trade comprises only a small fraction of total Hungarian foreign trade, reaching 0.54 percent of the total in 2009.^[12] Hungarian investments in Croatia rose sharply in 2003, reaching the fourth ranking in that year following investments exceeding US$630 million, largely in tourism and manufacturing. The largest single investment that year was the purchase of more than 25 percent of the stock ofINA for US$500 million by theMOL Group.^[13] By 2011, the MOL Group increased its stake in INA to 47.16 percent.^[14]

Hungarian tourists contribute significantly to the Croatian tourist industry; in 2009, a total of 323,000 Hungarians visited Croatia as tourists. A total of 1.644 million overnight stays were made by Hungarian tourists in that year alone, ranking Hungarian tourists seventh in the number of nights spent in Croatia (behind theGermans,Slovenes,Italians,Austrians,Czechs andDutch). At the same time, the Hungarian tourists spent more than 143 millionkuna (c. €19 million) in Croatia, representing a sharp increase from 69.5 million kuna (c. €9.3 million) spent in 2008. In 2009, 103,000 Croatians visited Hungary (excluding family and friend visits) in 356,000 overnight stays, spending 204,000 kuna (c. €27,000). This spending represented a 250-percent increase from 2008.[11]

Croatia and Hungary coordinate the development of infrastructure, especially transportation routes.Pan-European corridors Vb and Vc connect Budapest to theAdriatic Sea via Zagreb andRijeka (Vb) and toOsijek andPloče (Vc).^[15] The Pan-European corridor Vb comprises road and rail links between the Hungarian and Croatian capitals and thePort of Rijeka. The corridor's road component primarily consists of theM7, theA4 and theA6 motorways (as well as several other connecting motorway sections) completed on 22 October 2008.^[16][17] The rail component of the corridor largely uses the route completed in 1873, but it is planned to be rebuilt to increase its capacity.^[18] The Pan-European corridor Vc primarily consists of theM6 and theA5 motorways; however, as of December 2011, the motorway is not completed.^[19] Other infrastructure jointly developed by Croatia and Hungary includes a €395 million gas pipeline^[20] and two electric-power lines.^[21][22] On the 355.5-kilometre (220.9 mi) border between Croatia and Hungary^[11] there are six international-road border crossings, three rail border crossings and five local-traffic border crossings.^[23] Both Croatia and Hungary are today members of the border-freeSchengen Area.

According to the 2001 census there are 16,595Hungarians living in Croatia, representing 0.37 percent of the population.^[11] In 2000, there were 15,597Croats living in Hungary, accounting for 0.15 percent of the total population.^[24] The Hungarian minority in Croatia is recognised by theConstitution of Croatia;minority rights (including official use ofHungarian bylocal governments and education in Hungarian) are safeguarded by legislation enacted by theSabor.^[25] Seven municipalities in Croatia introduced Hungarian for official use (either in part of their territory or the entire municipality), depending on the distribution of the Hungarian population there.^[26] There are five Hungarian minority organizations in Croatia,^[27] and the Hungarian minority is guaranteed one seat in theCroatian Parliament.^[28]

The Hungarian government recognised Croats as a minority native to Hungary; it has decided to implement the optional regulations of theEuropean Charter for Regional or Minority Languages with respect toCroatian and establish a minority self-government for the Croatian minority in Hungary, guaranteeingcultural autonomy. The Croatian minority set up 127 local and 7 county self-governments in Hungary.^[29][30] There are concerns that Croatian minority rights in Hungary are being diminished, but the president of Croatia has assessed that both Croatian and Hungarian minority policies were appropriate.^[31] The Croatian minority in Hungary is particularly active inPécs, where the Scientific Institute of Croats in Hungary and the Croatian Theatre have been established.^[32]The number of migrants between Croatia and Hungary is very low; in 2009, only 22 people emigrated from Hungary to Croatia while a single person emigrated from Croatia to Hungary.^[11]

Croatia and Hungary have agreed to the Cultural Cooperation Programme, which defines cooperation and cultural exchange in the fields of music, theatre and dance, and with respect to the arts, museums, galleries, literature, publishing, libraries, archives, film and cultural-heritage protection. The programme was agreed to on 7 November 2011 in Budapest by secretaries of theCroatian Ministry of Culture and the Hungarian Ministry of National Resources. The programme pertains to the 2012–2014 period and represents a continuation of cultural cooperation through cultural exchange, outside the framework of formal agreements.^[33] Cultural, educational and scientific cooperation between the two countries is covered by a treaty of 16 March 1994, with additional treaties regulating diploma recognitions since 16 June 1997 and additional treaties and protocols on scientific and technological cooperation signed in 2002 and 2009. The scientific and educational cooperation entails the awarding of scholarships and bilateral research projects.^[34]

Klovićevi dvori Gallery (Zagreb) andHungarian National Museum (Budapest) organised several joint exhibitions, held in both institutions:

• "Ars et virtus Croatia – Hungary. 800 years of joint cultural heritage" (2020)^[35]
• "Ideal and reality: first golden age of Hungarian painting and commencements of the Croatian Modern art" (2024, part ofHungarian presidency of the CEU)^[36]

Croatia and Hungary have either signed or succeeded 133 different treaties and other agreements. Some were originally signed by Hungary andSFR Yugoslavia, while Croatia succeeded relevant documents pursuant to decisions of theBadinter Arbitration Committee.^[37] As of December 2011, 96 remain in force, regulating various aspects of relations between the countries (including minority rights, diplomatic relations, cultural and scientific cooperation, trade and economic relations,Drava river navigation, border control and air transport). There were also agreements made with a limited period of application, pertaining to sporting-event security.^[38]

Croatia and Hungary are members of several multinational organizations, including theUnited Nations, theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, theCouncil of Europe,NATO, theWorld Trade Organization, theCentral European Initiative and theEuropean Union.^[39][40] Both countries are also taking part in the formulation and implementation of theDanube Strategy, focusing on transport, environmental and economic development of theDanube area and involving most countries along its banks.^[41]

WhenStjepan II died in 1091, ending theTrpimirović dynasty rule in themedieval kingdom of Croatia,Ladislaus I of Hungary claimed theCroatian crown. Opposition to the claim led to awar and thepersonal union of Croatia and Hungary in 1102, ruled byColoman.^[42] For the next four centuries, Croatia was ruled by theSabor (parliament) and aBan of Croatia (viceroy) appointed by the king.^[43] This period saw an increasing threat ofOttoman conquest and a struggle against theRepublic of Venice for control of coastal areas. The Venetians gained control over most of Dalmatia by 1428 except for thecity-state of Dubrovnik, which became independent.Ottoman conquests led to the 1493Battle of Krbava Field and the 1526Battle of Mohács, both ending in decisive Ottoman victories against Hungarian and Croatian armies. KingLouis II died at Mohács; in 1527,the assembly of Croatian nobility meeting at Cetin choseFerdinand I of Habsburg as the new ruler of Croatia under the conditions that he provide protection to Croatia against the Ottoman Empire and respect its political rights.^[43][44] In political disarray, the dividedHungarian nobility elected two kings simultaneously:János Szapolyai and Ferdinand I. With the conquest ofBuda by the Ottomans in 1541, the remaining part ofHungary not ruled by the Ottomans (known as theRoyal Hungary) was annexed by the Habsburgs; they ruled as Kings of Hungary, thus keeping the kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia under a single crown.

During the 1830s and 1840sromantic nationalism appeared in Croatia, inspiring theCroatian National Revival (a political and cultural campaign advocating the unity of allSouth Slavs in the empire). Its primary focus was the establishment of a standard language as a counterweight toHungarian and the promotion of Croatian literature and culture.^[45] During theHungarian Revolution of 1848, Croatia sided with the Austrians; BanJosip Jelačić helped defeat the Hungarian forces in 1849, ushering in a period ofGermanization.^[46] By the 1860s the policy's failure became apparent, leading to theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the creation of apersonal union between the crowns of theAustrian Empire and theKingdom of Hungary. The treaty left the issue of Croatia's status to Hungary; this was resolved by theCroatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, when the kingdoms of Croatia and Slavonia were united.^[47] The Kingdom of Dalmatia remained underde facto Austrian control, whileRijeka retained its status ofCorpus separatum introduced in 1779.^[42] AfterAustria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina following the1878 Treaty of Berlin, theCroatian Military Frontier was abolished and the territory returned to Croatia in 1881.^[44] Renewed efforts toreform Austria-Hungary, entailingfederalisation with Croatia as a federal unit, were halted byWorld War I.^[48] On 29 October 1918 the Croatian Sabor declared independence and decided to join the newly formedState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, ending Habsburg rule and the personal union with Hungary after 816 years.^[43]

TheTreaty of Trianon was signed in 1920, at the end ofWorld War I, between theAllies of World War I andHungary (as one of the successor states of Austria-Hungary).^[49] The treaty regulated the status of the independent Hungarian state and defined its borders. Compared to the prewar Kingdom of Hungary (as a part of Austria-Hungary), post-Trianon Hungary lost 72 percent of its territory.^[50] The principal beneficiaries of the territorial division of the prewar Kingdom of Hungary wereRomania,Czechoslovakia and theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The treaty established the southern border of Hungary along theDrava andMura rivers (except inBaranya, where only the northern part of the county was retained by Hungary).^[51][52] On 4 December 1918 the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (comprising present-day Croatia) joined theKingdom of Serbia to form theKingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.^[53]

Theinvasion of Yugoslavia by theAxis Powers began on 6 April 1941, duringWorld War II, and ended with the unconditional surrender of theRoyal Yugoslav Army on 17 April 1941.^[54] During that time, agenocide of Serbs happened. Many Jews and Roma people were murdered too. Also, during that time, on 12 April theHungarian Third Army crossed the border (advancing intoMeđimurje and southernBaranya).^[55] Thoseterritorial gains were reversed byYugoslav partisans and theRed Army in 1944 and 1945, and confirmed by theParis Peace Treaties of 1947.^[56] As World War II was replaced by theCold War, Hungarian–Croatian relations were substantially dictated by theSoviet Union; it dominated theEastern Bloc, which included Hungary andCommunist-ruled Yugoslavia (which in turn comprisedCroatia as its constituent part), as defined by theTito–Stalin split.^[57] This situation ended with therevolutions of 1989,the end of Communism in Hungary and thebreakup of Yugoslavia.^[58][59]

Hungary recognised Croatian independence on 15 January 1992 (with the rest of theEuropean Economic Community member states), and established diplomatic relations with Croatia three days later.^[4] During theCroatian War of Independence, Croatia obtained arms from several countries (including Hungary), despite aUnited Nations-imposedarms embargo.^[60] As of December 2011, Hungary and Croatia have 96 treaties and agreements in force regulating a wide range of activities and relations (including diplomatic, cultural, economic, energy, transport, education, minority and other issues).^[38] Furthermore, Hungary supported the CroatianNATO membership request andCroatian accession to theEuropean Union.^[61]

Export and import from Hungary to Croatia^[62]

Million (€)	2012	2013	2014	2015
Export	1,266.71	1,115.98	1,188.7	1,491.1
Import	341.77	340.19	419.76	439.02
Balance	924.95	775.78	768.97	1,052.13

Hungary joined theEU in2004. Croatia joined the EU in2013. Hungary joinedNATO in 1999. Croatia joined NATO in2009.

• Croatia has an embassy inBudapest and a consulate-general inPécs.
• Hungary has an embassy inZagreb and a consulate-general inOsijek.

• 
  Embassy of Croatia in Budapest

• Foreign relations of Croatia
• Foreign relations of Hungary
• Hungarians of Croatia
• Croats of Hungary
• Hungary–Yugoslavia relations

• Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration: list of bilateral treaties with Hungary
• Croatian embassy in Budapest (in Croatian and Hungarian only)Archived 16 March 2010 at theWayback Machine
• Hungarian embassy in ZagrebArchived 14 July 2010 at theWayback Machine

• Croatia–Hungary relations
• Bilateral relations of Croatia
• Bilateral relations of Hungary

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