Semjén said this is the first time since the signing of the WWI Trianon peace treaty - under which two-thirds of Hungary’s territory was ceded to neighbouring countries - that any ethnic Hungarian living beyond the borders who wants to be a full-fledged Hungarian can become a Hungarian citizen and thereby an EU one.

He vowed that there would be one million new Hungarian citizens by the end of the current government term.

Ninety percent of the new citizens will be granted Hungarian citizenship through the fast-tracked naturalisation process, he said.

The Hungarian government has never spent as much money on helping Hungarians abroad preserve their cultural and linguistic identity as it does now, Semjén added.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Soós Lajos