Better than Ever? Conceptualizing Hungarian–Serbian Historical Reconciliation

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
In the past decade, political relations between Hungary and Serbia have significantly developed. The political reconciliation, often described by Hungarian politicians as a historic momentum, has had spill-over effects into strategic policy fields, including foreign trade and investment. This presentation aims to examine the added value of political reconciliation by exploring its spill-over effects and societal aspects. It argues that although the excellent leader-to-leader relationship is the backbone of cooperation, the ever-changing geopolitical situation in Central and Southeast Europe and shared challenges have heightened the need to cooperate. On the other hand, while political reconciliation has led to strong economic cooperation, societal relations between Vojvodina Hungarians and Serbs have not experienced the same level of improvement, as the lack of trust among communities still persists.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Ferenc Németh is a Ph.D. student at the Doctoral School of International Relations and Political Science at Corvinus University of Budapest. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from Corvinus University of Budapest and pursued post-graduate studies at the Universities of Graz and Belgrade. He is also a research fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. Ferenc gained experience as an editor/journalist at the Balkán Expressz column of the Figyelő newspaper (2015-2017), at the biztonsagpolitika.hu news website (2015-2016), and within the Press Office of EULEX Kosovo (2019). His areas of research include Southeast Europe and security studies.