Emigration of Hungarians to Great Britain at the beginning of the 21^st century in the context of the migration policy under the V. Orban government

   Introduction. The complex processes taking place in the European Union after Brexit and COVID-19 as well as the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine in 2022 have once again drawn the attention of the academic community and the public to the development problems of Central and Eastern Europe. One of these problems is the migration process taking place in the region and their economic, cultural and political consequences. The V. Orban government pursues a cautious policy of accepting Ukrainian refugees. Such actions are both politically and economically motivated.

   Materials and Methods. In the process of working on the topic, the author used the publications of Russian and foreign researchers on the Hungarian emigration, as well as historical sources, including statistical materials, documents reflecting the life of the Hungarian community in the UK and journalism. When working on the topic, the theoretical and methodological developments of migrationology in Russia and foreign countries were used.

   Analysis. The article raises the issue of emigration of Hungarians after the 2008 economic crisis to Great Britain, which, unlike other European Union countries, including Germany and France, pursued a liberal migration policy. The article points out that the economic recovery of the late 1990^s and early 21st century slowed down emigration of Hungarians to the EU states. Therefore, it was classified as “belated migration”. The article stresses that the main reason for the emigration of Hungarians to the UK and other European Union states has been the increase in unemployment in the country since 2008 and the falling purchasing power of Hungarians at home. The coming to power of Orban’s government did not contribute to Hungarian emigration, except for a group of liberal intellectuals. The author analyses the gender, educational and regional specifics of Hungarian emigration to the UK. The article pays special attention to the peculiarities of the life of the Hungarian community in the UK, its desire to maintain contacts with the homeland and its national identity. In the conclusion of the article, the author examines the migration policy of the V. Orban government aimed at returning emigrants to the country and reducing potential emigration among Hungarians.

   Results. The author concludes that the actions of the Orban government did not find support among most Hungarians living in Great Britain. Part of the emigrants returned to their home country concerned about Brexit and influenced by the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Most Hungarians are happy with their life in the UK and do not consider returning to Hungary.

1. Bolotov S. Hungary: Tested by the World Crisis. Vestnik Instituta ekonomiki RAN. 2009: 2: 159-176. (In Russ.).

2. Vengriya: prirost naselenie za schet rozhdaemosti, a ne migrantov (15. 01. 2020) Available from: https://ru.euronews.com/2020/01/15/nationalised-fertility-gme [Accessed 15 June 2022]. (In Russ.).

3. Right-wing conservatives win parliamentary elections in Hungary (12. 04. 2010) Available from: https://www.qwas.ru/belarus/ucpb/Pravye-konservatory-pobedili-na-parlamentskih-vyborah-v-Vengrii/ [Accessed 15 June 2022]. (In Russ.).

4. Doehier A. The’ strategic’ reason foe Hungary’s free fertility plan (17. 02. 2021)// Available from: https://balkaninsight.com/2020/02/17/the-strategic-reason-for-hungarys-free-fertility-plan/ [Accessed 15 June 2022].

5. Hungarian immigrant workers in UK won’t be affected by Brexit: Hungarian PM (11. 10. 2016) Available from: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-hungary-orban-idUSKBN1360KL [Accessed 15 June 2022].

6. Hungary: Population: demographic situation, languages and religions Available from: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/population-demographic-situation-languages-and-religions-35_en [Accessed 15 June 2022].

7. Inoti E. Hungary’s hard line on immigration softened for some (19. 12. 2019) // Available from: https://balkaninsight.com/2019/12/19/hungarys-hard-line-on-immigration-softened-for-some/ [Accessed 15 June 2022].

8. Kapitány B., Rohr A. A Magyarországon Állandó Lakcímmel Rendelkező 18–49 Éves Magyar Állampolgárok Mintegy 7,4 Százaléka Tartózkodik Jelenleg Tartósan Külföldön // Available from: https://demografia.hu/kiadvanyokonline/index.php/korfa/article/view/729/193 [Accessed 15 June 2022].

9. Kaszás F. More Hungarians Live in the UK Than Official Statistics Show (18. 02. 2021) Available from: https://hungarytoday.hu/more-hungarians-live-in-the-uk-than-official-statistics-show/ [Accessed 15 June 2022].

10. Kováts A., Papp A. Z. Patterns of success amongst Hungarians living in the UK Szociológiai Szemle. 2016: 4: 95–123.

11. Laczik А. Hungarian Migrants in the UK Labour Market: A Pilot Study on the Former Education of Hungarian Migrants and on Underutilisation of their Skills in the UK. SKOPE Research Paper No. 119. February 2014. 49 р.

12. Manchester to host UK’s first Transylvanian Hungarian festival of arts, music and culture (20. 03. 2017) Available from: https://ilovemanchester.com/manchester-to-host-uks-first-transylvanian-hungarian-festival-of-arts-music-and-culture [Accessed 15 June 2022].

13. Moreh C. A Decade of Membership: Hungarian Post-Accession Mobility to the United Kingdom. Central and Eastern European Migration Review. 2014. Vol. 3: 2: 79–104.

14. NINO Available from: www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/data-and-resources/data-sources-and-limitations/national-insurance-numbers [Accessed 15 June 2022].

15. Sik E. Csúcson a migrációt tervezők aránya. (The proportion of migrants planning to leave has reached the highest level.) Budapest: TÁRKI Zrt Available from: http://www.tarki.hu/hu/news/2012/kitekint/20120523_migracio.html [Accessed 15 June 2022].

16. Szekeres E., Ciobanu C. Central Europe’s returnees – a mix of the relieved and the reluctant (29. 03. 2021) Available from: https://balkaninsight.com/2021/03/29/central-europes-returnees-a-mix-of-the-relieved-and-the-reluctant/ [Accessed 15 June 2022].

17. TÁRKI. Migration potential in Hungary 1993–2015. TÁRKI Social Research Institute, Quick Report, April 2015. Available from: URL: http://old.tarki.hu/hu/news/2015/kitekint/20150511_migracio.html [Accessed 15 June 2022].