REGIONAL AND MINORITY POLICY RESPONSES TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE EU ACCESSION

The paper gives a detailed description of the situation of the Hungarian national minority in Vojvodina. It covers the debate surrounding the minority issue which has been included in democracy discourses, but never in their mainstream. The aim of the paper is to identify how international and EU regulation of minorities influence the position of Hungarian ethnic minority in Vojvodina where Hungarians have an exceptionally strong presence within the community. For there is a clearly identifiable demand and willingness to have a cultural and teritorial autonomy. The paper has a special focus on the legislative and institutional frmaework of the Serbian minority policy and shows how the minority rights work in practice. The study also notes that efforts have been made to improve legislation in favour of minorities but rebukes the chronic failure to implement this legislation and introduce additional legislative or regulatory measures.