Hungary in NATO
Hungary in NATO
Following the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991, the Hungarian political elite was virtually on a consensus that the country’s regained independence and security would best be provided for in NATO, which has the majority of Western democracies among its members. This consensus was further strengthened with the emergence of new external threats affecting Hungary, the appearance of new neighboring states and a new wave of ethnic tension, not to mention the repeated bloodshed in former Yugoslavia. Although the positions of the country in respect of conventional weapons, did improve with the implementation of the 1990 CFE Treaty and the disintegration of the three neighboring federal states – further enhanced from the south by the results of the 1996 Florence agreement on “sub-regional arms control” – it still seemed that membership in NATO would be the lasting solution.
It was in April 1996 that the Hungarian government handed over a document outlining its ideas on accession and two years of experiences in Partnership for Peace cooperation, articulating – in line with the requirements mentioned in the 1995 Enlargement Study of NATO – that Hungary intended to join the first round of enlargement, and that it envisaged full membership with rights and obligations from the moment of accession.
As it was included in the program of the Horn-cabinet, there was a referendum held on 16 November 1997 after the invitation was extended at the 1997 NATO Summit in Madrid. The referendum was preceded by fierce domestic debate, although it did contain certain other elements. The referendum was finally declared valid and successful: there was a 49.2% turnout and 85% of those voted for NATO membership, with 15% rejecting it. It was with this mandate that the Hungarian government forwarded its statement of intent to Brussels with the Accession Protocol finally signed on 16 December 1997. During the course of 1998 – along with the Czech Republic and Poland – there were several rounds of negotiations conducted to clear tangible accession-related issues followed by the ratification procedures in the member states. Formal accession occurred on 12 March 1999. Originally the plans were to adopt the three new member states on the 50th Anniversary of NATO, however the Kosovo-crisis foiled the plans. Only one week into their membership, the three new countries had to participate in a large scale military operation launched by NATO in Kosovo.
NATO membership brought about radical changes in the strategic situation of the country. With its decision to grant membership, the international community acknowledged the sociopolitical transformation that had been underway since the beginning of the decade (the building of democracy, the development of the market economy, civilian control over the military) and also the foreign policy achievements of Hungary during the 1990s. It has to be mentioned here that between 1992 and 1994 Hungary was a member of the UN Security Council, in 1995 it assumed the position of the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, in 1996 the country became a member of OECD, from the end of 1998 assumed the chair of the Council of Europe and the very same year it started accession talks with the European Union. Hungary participates in all important international non-proliferation efforts and since October 1999 it has been the chairman in office of the MTCR.
The ability of asserting national interests has also increased along with the level of integration, thus turning Hungary into a regional exporter of security. Membership brought guarantees of security that the country could not have achieved otherwise. In foreign policy terms the country had more room to move, which also carried an increased international responsibility. The relationship between Hungary and its neighbors became one of mutual dependence, in which – save for the relations with Austria – the role of initiative, lies in the hands of Hungarian foreign policy.
The experiences of NATO membership are not all that numerous with only two years having elapsed. What can be said is that the coordination of government work has improved thanks to membership, and several changes and amendments have been made to legislation pertinent to membership. We can basically say that integration into NATO structures, the delegation of Hungarians to Allied posts offered has been successful. Requirements stemming from membership have basically forced the drafting and the implementation of a modernization reform in the armed forces.
