Rusyns of Croatia: Political organizing
The article was first published in Rusyn on June 20, 2022.
Rusyns established themselves in what is now the Republic of Croatia between 1830 and 1880, coming primarily from Ruski Kerestur and other Rusyn-inhabited towns in Vojvodina. The first towns they settled in were Stari Jankovci, Petrovci and Mikloševci. The Rusyn community in Croatia had always been greatly supported by their brothers and sisters from across the Danube in Vojvodina, until that connection was severed in the Croatian War of Independence in 1991. New states and new borders were formed. Cross-border cooperation was complicated, especially at first. The Rusyns of Croatia had to continue on their own.
The war had serious consequences. It caused new migration waves among Rusyns, and many did not return home. Jakim Erdelji, the Rusyn minority council president in Vukovar-Srijem County, points out the following pertinent problems in the community: brain drain among the youth, interethnic marriages, loss of identity, depopulation… These are the problems, so let us move on to the institutions aiming to solve them.
The Croatian Parliament (Sabor)
The most prominent government body has members representing the 22 recognized national minorities. Currently, Rusyns and 11 other minority ethnic groups are represented by Veljko Kajtazi. It is worth noting that a Rusyn, Miroslav Kiš, served as representative during the first two parliamentary terms (1991-1994, 1994-1998). He was then replaced by a Ukrainian deputy, then a German, then by the Romani Nazif Memedi, and finally by Veljko Kajtazi, who is also Romani. Rusyns have the right to vote and be elected for this position.
The National Minority Council
Founded by the Croatian government. Rusyns have their own representative in the Council, currently Zvonko Kostelnik. The Council is tasked with supporting every minority’s cultural autonomy, as well as various other programs and projects. Out of the 22 recognized national minorities in Croatia, 20 submit plans and programs to obtain state funding and representation at various levels of local government.
The Council also provides media support for the work done in minority communities. The national minorities feature in two programs on national television: Prizma (“Prism”), and Manjinski mozaik (“Minority Mosaic”). The Rusyns are represented at an average of 10 to 35 minutes per year. This does not sound like much, but one should consider there are still bigger minorities with less screen time.
The Council must also protect our constitutional rights. Citizens belonging to a national minority have the right to work in the public sector (Constitution, Article 22). Rusyns also have the right to use their language in courts and on their ID cards (alongside Croatian).
The Council holds meetings every three months. It is composed of 19 members elected for four-year terms. A council member can be elected via their minority council or as a representative of a minority institution.
The National Minority Council protects national minority rights in Croatia as a whole, while the minority representative in the Parliament is able to provide support to individual minority groups under their protection.
The Rusyn National Minority Council in Vukovar-Srijem County
Composed of 25 members elected by secret ballot. The candidates, who must all be Rusyn, are nominated by any Rusyn institution and voted for by Rusyns over 18. Independent candidates are also allowed to participate: the voters may choose up to 25 individual candidates from any or all voting lists.
Minority Councils in counties are established by the local government where the national minority numbers at least 500 people. The Minority Council is primarily an advisory body to the county and local governments and deals with enacting minority rights. It does not provide individual support, but if you are looking for some, you can get some advice from the council president Jakim Erdelji.
The Rusyn National Minority Council in Vukovar
Composed of 15 members currently headed by Zdenko Burčak. Minority Councils can be established in cities where at least 250 people belong to the national minority in question. The Minority City Council has similar responsibilities to the Minority County Council, but these are limited to its home city.
Rusyn National Minority Municipal Councils
Composed of 10 members. The council president is Tomislav Keteleš in the Municipality of Bogdanovci, and Slavko Ždinjak in the Municipality of Tompojevci. The Minority Municipal Council has similar responsibilities as outlined above, localized in its municipality. A council can be established where the national minority numbers at least 150 people, and it is financed by the municipal budget.
Representatives in counties, cities, and municipalities
There will be areas where a national minority does not meet the criteria to establish a local council (500 people for counties, 250 for cities, 150 for municipalities). In that case, the minority group may still have a local representative where it numbers at least 101 people. The representative’s role is similar to that of minority councils, the difference being that the representative works on their own. Rusyns have representatives in the Osijek-Baranja County, currently Agnetka Balatinac, and in Zagreb, Mihajlo Timko.
(Note: According to the 2021 population census in Croatia, the Rusyn national minority has lost its right to a local representative in the Osijek-Baranja County: their population in the county was 62 people, less than the minimal required number. The census results were reported after this article had been initially published.)
Jakim Erdelji, the Rusyn minority council president in Vukovar-Srijem County, has briefly explained the issues and activities that the council is engaged with:
- We are an aging minority group and we are slowly depopulating. In 2011, when the previous census was held, the average age for Rusyns was 53 years. We expect that the Rusyn population in the 2021 census will be about 1400. The Minority County Council’s activities were stopped during the coronavirus pandemic. We were unable to organize the commemoration of the Rusyn Day in Croatia or the Rutenijada sporting games. We cooperate with the Union of Rusyns in Croatia, which makes it easier to finance various activities.
This way, we were able to start the local Book Fair featuring all minority publications in the county, then a minority folk dress exhibition, and we have also been jointly organizing celebrations of the Rusyn Day in Croatia for the past two years.
The county council is also involved in a transnational cooperation program Dunav nas spaja (“The Danube Connects Us”), which has national minority organizations from Croatia and Vojvodina cooperate on a European Union project with about a million euro worth of funding. The project aims to support cultural programs, protect cultural heritage, as well as adapt and renovate the spaces used by minority organizations. Unfortunately, the EU has not yet transferred the funds due to the war in Ukraine, so the project will not commence until the end of 2022 or until 2023. Rusyns in Croatia could receive about 40 thousand euro, which could really help our small community.
To conclude, what the future holds for the Rusyn national minority in Croatia is unpredictable. The consequences of the war are still around, and assimilation affects more and more people, especially young Rusyns. There is a saying: “The world is left to the young”. The following years will show us whether that is the case. There is a good level of political organizing, but if we do not fight for ourselves, there will be nobody else to help us.