According to the data of the 2001 census, 8,482 people declared Romanian as their mother tongue, 7,995 people reported their ethnicity as Romanian and 5,598 people identified themselves belonging to the Romanian Orthodox religion. In comparison to the data of the past ten years, the ratio of those who declared their mother tongue to be Romanian, reduced by 2.8 percent. In 2001 a total of 94,721 people in Hungary were able to speak Romanian. Based on historical developments, Romanians in Hungary mainly live in the south-eastern regions of Hungary as well as in the capital.
In the minority self-government elections of 2010, 5,277 Hungarian citizens’ names in 112 settlements were registered to vote. This number is almost 20 percent higher than 4 years earlier. Based on the elections of 2010-2011, Romanians in Hungary created 71 local and 2 county self-governments, as well as one self-government in the capital and one national self-government. The national self-government is based in Gyula.
The national self-government institution operates the Information and Documentation Centre in Gyula, also steering the unique historical museum focussing on the life of ethnic Romanians, the Romanian Regional Museum of Kétegyház. The Romanian Documentation Centre organizes several cultural programs including youth camps, dance ensembles and the coordination of national level cultural meetings. The Centre is in close working relationships with Romanian cultural and educational institutions, and in cooperation with the Arad State University, regularly organizes teacher trainings for staff of Romanian schools in Hungary. The national self-government also operates the Cronica Romanian journal and book Publishing House.
The Research Institute of Romanians in Hungary provides an organizational framework for the research of the Romanian minority in Hungary. Within this framework the conducted research studies scrutinize demography, ethnography, linguistics, history, education, sociology and political history of ethnic Romanians in Hungary. Researchers involved in the studies of the institute are renowned experts and scholars of the national academia.
Romanian minority education is part of the Hungarian public education at all levels. Currently, ethnic Romanian kindergarten and primary school education is present in 14 settlements. More than 1,500 children have access to ethnic Romanian education. The largest Romanian education institute in Hungary, the Romanian High School in Gyula, provides bilingual education to all classes.
The Romanian community provides mother-tongue kindergarten education in 2 settlements and bilingual kindergarten education in 5 settlements, in which a total of 561 children are being taken care of. In Hungary there is one Romanian primary school which is attended by 124 students, 5 institutes provide bilingual education for 372 students and in 5 settlements language schools teach Romanian language for 545 children. In the 60 years old Romanian High School in Gyula Romanian-Hungarian education is provided for 168 students. In Hungary three teacher’s training colleges provide Romanian language education courses. The Hungarian Sate issues scholarships covering full-time tertiary education. From 2011 the national self-government of Romanians in Hungary maintains the Lucian Magdu Romanian Primary School and Kindergarten in Battonya.
Romanian schools in Hungary (Battonya, Bedő, Gyula, Elek, Kétegyháza, Méhkerék) are provided full funding from the Hungarian State and Romanian language instruction schools receive compensatory support.
The vast majority of the Romanians in Hungary belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. According to the data of the 2001 census the majority of those of Orthodox religion belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. The most recent census shows that 5,598 people declared their religion to be Romanian Orthodox. The Romanian Orthodox Church in Hungary operates 21 parishes in 20 settlements. The Episcopate based in Gyula guides the life of the church. At the parishes 6 Hungarian and 8 Romanian missionary priests serve their order.
The Romanian community in Hungary runs two journals in Romanian: The Foaia românească and the Cronica. The Hungarian public television gives space to a 26-minute show every week, while the Hungarian Rádió broadcasts a daily 2-hour show in Romanian.
After Romania’s EU accession the Romanians in Hungary were able to maintain contact with the homeland without difficulties. The consulate in Gyula and Szeged and the cultural institutes endeavour to reinforce the ties between Romania and the Romanian minority in Hungary.
