Although shared by two minor member states, with its 676km the Slovak-Hungarian border is among the longest intra-EU land boundaries, experiencing particularly intensive cross-border ties especially since 2007 when both countries joined the Schengen Area. Despite growing and much-improved bilateral relations, some issues still overshadow the flourishing of this borderland.
Southern Slovakia hosts almost half a million Hungarian speakers, the big chunk of whom identifying as ethnic Hungarians. While this does not imply an identification with Hungary, the embracement of this community by some in Hungary is still sometimes viewed with suspicion by others in Slovakia. At the same time, other minorities include the small ethnic Slovak community in Hungary as well as Roma people on both sides.
Whether members of any minority or majority, many engage in cross-border contacts of all kinds in the borderland, which in economic terms consists of peripheral and better-off regions on both sides. Yet the temporary reintroduction of border controls – whether ascribed to refugee crises or other, real or perceived threats – poses a challenge for such ties. Hence, we are particularly interested in what local residents and actors make of EUrope and the border.