Diaspora Policies in the 21st Century – New Answers for New Challenges

The conference entitled “Diaspora Politics in the 21st Century” was held on March 28 and 29 at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, jointly organized by the Ferenc Mádl Institute for Comparative Law and the State Secretariat for National Policy of the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Policy Research Institute.
The international event was supported by the Gábor Bethlen Fund with the aim of presenting their best practices and experiences through professional discussions and plenary presentations by scientists from neighboring and some more distant countries (the United States and Israel).

An English summary of the event can be viewed by clicking here.

PROGRAM OF THE CONFERENCE

Day 1. March 28.

Registration – 9.30-10.00

Opening – 10.00-10.30

Potápi, Árpád János (Secretary of State for Hungarian Communities Abroad)

Szilágyi, János Ede (Head of Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law, Hungary)

Kántor, Zoltán (Head of Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad, Hungary)

Panel 1. The Relationship between Kin-state and Diaspora: Diaspora Policy in Public Administration

Moderator: Kántor, Zoltán (Head of Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad, Hungary)

10.30-10.50 Russell, Martin (Advisor, The Networking Institute, Ireland): Diaspora Diplomacy as Diaspora Policy: Institutional and Implementation Frameworks for Impact

10.50-11.10 Weinbaum, Laurence (Director General, Israel Council on Foreign Relations): Diaspora-‘Old Country’ Relations: The Jewish-Israeli Paradigm

11.10-11.30 Wetzel, Tamás (Ministerial Commissioner, Hungary): The Hungarian Reunification

11.30-12.00 Q&A

LUNCH BREAK – 12.00-13.00

Panel 2. Diaspora Policies in Theory and Practice

Moderator: Fazakas, Zoltán József (Head of Department of Science and Research Network Management Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law, Hungary)

13.00-13.20 Waterbury, Myra (Professor of Political Science, Ohio University, USA; Visiting Scholar, Institute for Minority Studies, Hungary): Hungarian Kin-State Policies at the Intersection of Divided Nationhood and Multiple Membership

13.20-13.40 Douani, Nadav (CEO, Science Abroad, Israel): The Way Back Home

13.40-14.10 Anaz, Necati (Associate Professor, Istanbul University, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Turkey) – Köse, Mehmet (Migration Research Foundation, Turkey): Understanding Turkey’s Long Debate on Extending Voting Rights to External Residents through Parliamentary Minutes

14.10-14.30 Gazsó, Dániel (research fellow, Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad, Hungary): Historical Background and Sociopolitical Context of Diaspora Policies in Central and Eastern Europe

14.30-14.45 Q&A

Day 2. March 29.

Panel 3. Diaspora Policies in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe: Best Practices I.

Moderator: Gazsó, Dániel (research fellow, Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad, Hungary)

9.30-9.50 Aleksandravičius, Egidijus (Institute of Lithuanian Emigration, VMU, Kaunas): Global Lithuania Between Bureaucracy and Civil Society 1990–2020

9.50-10.10 Genys, Dainius (Andrei Sakharov Research Center for Democratic Development, Vytautas Magnus University): Emigration as a way out of negative experiences in post-soviet reality. The case of Lithuania

10.10-10.30 Molnár, Balázs (Vice-President for Strategy and Coordination, Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families, Hungary): The role of family policy in maintaining the Hungarian roots of those living in the diaspora and in aiding young Hungarians returning to the homeland

10.30-10.50 Domaniczky, Endre (Senior Researcher, Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law, Hungary): Consular Work in the Service of the Hungarian Diaspora – A Case Study from the South Pacific.

10.50-11.00 Q&A

COFFEE BREAK 11.00-11.30

11.30-11.50 Bošnjak, Milan (Special Adviser, Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Croatia):  Relations of institutions of the Republic of Croatia with Croats abroad with special emphasis on relations with diaspora

11.50-12.10 Brkljač, Ivan (Direktor, Tačka Povratka, Serbia): Migration changing the face of a nation

12.10.12.30 Valentinčič, Dejan (Head, Research Institute of American Slovenian Education Foundation ASEF & State Secretary, Government Office for Slovenians Abroad): Slovenia’s diaspora policies in 30 years perspective: successes, failures, missed opportunities; new challenges and new opportunities

12.30-12.40 Q&A

LUNCH BREAK 12.40-13.40

Panel 4. Diaspora Policies in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe: Best Practices II.

Moderator: Kovács, Bálint (Researcher at Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law, Hungary)

13.40-14.00 Gujon, Arno (Director, Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region of the Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs): Cooperation with Diaspora: Serbian language and culture connecting people

14.00-14.20 Badowski, Jan (Director, Department for Cooperation with Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad, Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland): Cooperation of the Republic of Poland with Polish Diaspora ­– support system and mutual relations

14.20-14.40 Pralong, Sandra-Marylin-Andreea (State Adviser and Member of the Cabinet of the President of Romania, Department for the Relations with Romanians Abroad): Romania

14.40-15.00 Krátký, Jiří (Special Envoy for Expatriate Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic): Czech Diaspora, Potentials and Trends, Needs and Aids, Czech Language, Policy Tools and Experience

15.00-15.10 Q&A

15.10-15.20 Concluding Remarks: Szilágyi, Péter Ferenc (Ministerial Commissioner, Hungary)

Pursuant to the activities of the Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law as defined by law, these being of a public nature, audio and video recordings will be made of the event, with the purpose of recording the activities of the Institute and to verify the organization of the events. Such recordings may be published on the online interfaces where the Institute is present (such as our website, YouTube Channel, LinkedIn or Twitter profiles etc.).

The videos of the conference can be find below

Day 1. March 28.

Day 2. March 29.