The dispute focuses on post-war decrees that applied collective guilt to take away property and citizenship from ethnic Germans and Hungarians living in what was then Czechoslovakia for alleged wartime wrongs.
The “Benes Decrees”, named after Czechoslovak President Edvard Benes, periodically return to cloud relations between EU neighbours Hungary and Slovakia. The Hungarian minority makes up about 9% of Slovakia’s population of 5.5 million.
Last year, Fico’s leftist-nationalist government tightened legislation around the decrees by making it a criminal offence to question them.
Hungary’s outgoing leader Viktor Orban, a close ally of Fico, let the issue lie but it was picked up by Magyar in the campaign before his landslide victory in the April 12 election.
Magyar stuck to his views on Tuesday in his first contact with Fico since the election.
majorannah on
[Fico](https://x.com/RobertFicoSVK/status/2046531179487154531): “The main reason for my call with Péter Magyar was to learn about the positions of the new Hungarian political leadership regarding the reopening of the Druzhba oil pipeline and the lawsuit against the RePowerEU regulation, which the Slovak Republic and Hungary are filing against the EU in connection with the halt of Russian gas and oil supplies. I suggested discussing any other topics in person.”
[Magyar](https://x.com/magyarpeterMP/status/2046526469145247827): “I made it clear that we can only engage in discussions on any policy matters if we receive guarantees that Slovakia will repeal the legislation threatening Hungarians in Slovakia with imprisonment, and if it is clearly established that, in the future, there will be no confiscation of the land of our Hungarian compatriots in Slovakia on the basis of the Beneš Decrees and the principle of collective guilt.”
Vedagi_ on
Out of topic, but Slovaks are cute
ThrowawaypocketHu on
Good. It’s time someone addresses Slovakia’s ridiculous decrees, that have no place in the 21st century.
So nice to see a leader speak like that, instead of the constant bootlicking shown by Orbán and company.
Nepridiprav16 on
I’m on Magyar’s side on this issue.
Hungarians in Slovakian should have the right to protest and criticise Benes decree, which collectively punished Hungarians and Germans, without threat of imprisonment by goverment
The current Slovakian goverment is actively using these decrees today to seize land for infrastructure projects without paying compensation.
3nterShift on
I just instinctively side with whoever if it’s against Fico. He’s a literal Slovak Mafia-aligned crook and Putin bootlicker.
pisowiec on
On the one hand it’s crazy how the Benes decrees are still in the books. On the other hand, what exactly is the incentive for Slovakia to change course given the potential that Hungarians might start claiming their land back?
Fureba on
Imagine how the world would react if Germany would take away lands of Jews by referring to the Nazi Jewish laws, and threaten to imprison Jews if they dare to criticize the situation. But because Slovakia is doing this, the EU closes their eyes.
8 commenti
April 21 (Reuters) – The rights of Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarian minority have resurfaced as a thorn in bilateral issues after Hungarian [election winner](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarians-vote-landmark-election-closely-watched-by-eu-russia-us-2026-04-11/) Peter Magyar protested Slovak legislation reinforcing post-World War Two retribution acts in his first phone call with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The dispute focuses on post-war decrees that applied collective guilt to take away property and citizenship from ethnic Germans and Hungarians living in what was then Czechoslovakia for alleged wartime wrongs.
The “Benes Decrees”, named after Czechoslovak President Edvard Benes, periodically return to cloud relations between EU neighbours Hungary and Slovakia. The Hungarian minority makes up about 9% of Slovakia’s population of 5.5 million.
Last year, Fico’s leftist-nationalist government tightened legislation around the decrees by making it a criminal offence to question them.
Hungary’s outgoing leader Viktor Orban, a close ally of Fico, let the issue lie but it was picked up by Magyar in the campaign before his landslide victory in the April 12 election.
Magyar stuck to his views on Tuesday in his first contact with Fico since the election.
[Fico](https://x.com/RobertFicoSVK/status/2046531179487154531): “The main reason for my call with Péter Magyar was to learn about the positions of the new Hungarian political leadership regarding the reopening of the Druzhba oil pipeline and the lawsuit against the RePowerEU regulation, which the Slovak Republic and Hungary are filing against the EU in connection with the halt of Russian gas and oil supplies. I suggested discussing any other topics in person.”
[Magyar](https://x.com/magyarpeterMP/status/2046526469145247827): “I made it clear that we can only engage in discussions on any policy matters if we receive guarantees that Slovakia will repeal the legislation threatening Hungarians in Slovakia with imprisonment, and if it is clearly established that, in the future, there will be no confiscation of the land of our Hungarian compatriots in Slovakia on the basis of the Beneš Decrees and the principle of collective guilt.”
Out of topic, but Slovaks are cute
Good. It’s time someone addresses Slovakia’s ridiculous decrees, that have no place in the 21st century.
So nice to see a leader speak like that, instead of the constant bootlicking shown by Orbán and company.
I’m on Magyar’s side on this issue.
Hungarians in Slovakian should have the right to protest and criticise Benes decree, which collectively punished Hungarians and Germans, without threat of imprisonment by goverment
The current Slovakian goverment is actively using these decrees today to seize land for infrastructure projects without paying compensation.
I just instinctively side with whoever if it’s against Fico. He’s a literal Slovak Mafia-aligned crook and Putin bootlicker.
On the one hand it’s crazy how the Benes decrees are still in the books. On the other hand, what exactly is the incentive for Slovakia to change course given the potential that Hungarians might start claiming their land back?
Imagine how the world would react if Germany would take away lands of Jews by referring to the Nazi Jewish laws, and threaten to imprison Jews if they dare to criticize the situation. But because Slovakia is doing this, the EU closes their eyes.