Typical cliches

• „Sógorék“ – „Labancok“ – „Schwager“• Sissi movies before WWI• Paprika• Shopping• Dentists• Cheap cigarettes

The Austrian perception of Hungary and its political actions in the 21st century – a vision for

cultural awareness and political communication

• Short overview in both countries history

• Present diplomatic, economic and societal discourse

• Current political climate on a European scale

History• Dichotomy since the 10th century – Expansion of

Hungary against Holy Roman Empire• 1526 -1541 -1686 – Turkish invasions – Hungary fell

apart – Direct Habsburg influence began • 1848: fight for independece from Habsburg, unsuccessful• 1867: Compromise between Habsburg & Hungarian

crown• 1914: „The unwanted war“ – WWI• 1920 - 1945: WWII & Consequences, different dealings• 1956: Hungarian revolution against Sovjet Empire –

Austrian empathy and help• 1989: Cutting through the Iron Curtain by Mock, ÖVP &

Horn, MSZ(M)P

Present discourseAfter 1989:•Fall of the Iron Curtain•System change without change of establishment•Free market democracy

•Austria and other western countries started investing in Hungary by buying former state owned companies, modernising them and closing lots of them => creating jobs and GDP growth – mostly based on cheap export – huge profit

•Hungary wanted freedom of choice and „living like the others in the West“•Politically distancing itself from Russia and joining EU and NATO made Hungary geopolitically dependent, but in lighter ways it seemed.

Present discourse

• All what happens now between Austria and Hungary was coded in the EU agreement

• Everyone is equal as marketplayer, but the circumstances are highly different => EU structural funds were created

• BUT: There comes a time, where a transition country realizes, that nothing is in ist own hand. Others decide what is apropriate. The change of thought happenned in 2010

• There were and still are a lot of mistakes and misunderstandings made on Hungarian side (Spengler), but the trigger for all that was that Hungary was not able to take things into ist own hands: a valve of frustration opened

Present discourse

• Land & Real Estate Law• Bank tax / foreign currency loans

All these laws and taxes were against Austrian interests, but part of Hungary´s struggle to get rid of dependencies.

Present discourse

• „Hungary bashing“– As result of not understanding the political processes in

Hungary– Every major newspaper like „Der Standard“, „Die Presse“,

„Kronen Zeitung“ and „Wiener Zeitung“ started to criticise the government for not being democratic and not being european

– Mostly not fact based– Incoherent an inadequately copied from each other– Most of the laws implemented were on the basis of

already existing laws in the EU