Bratislava's well-planned hysteria

Budapest's plan to offer Hungarian citizenship to Hungarians living in neighbouring countries sparked fierce controversy in the Slovakian parliament on Tuesday, when MPs belonging to the Hungarian minority left the session in protest at countermeasures announced by Slovakia. The liberal daily Sme warns against hysteria: "Even if [the designated Hungarian prime minister Viktor] Orbán has the citizenship law passed today, it will only go into effect on January 1, 2011. Slovakia consequently has half a year to study it and determine together with well-informed international organisations why it could constitute a unilateral step toward institutionalising Hungary's relations with the minority living on Slovakian soil. ... [Prime Minister Robert] Fico and his coalition, however, are not really concerned about defending the interests of the state, but rather in fanning hysteria to improve their prospects in the upcoming elections. ... Debate on the rescue package for Greece can supposedly wait until after the elections. In the Hungarian matter however the government is taking immediate action - because the elections are just 15 days away."

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