Discussion Papers 2007.
Regionality and/or Locality 137-140. p.
UKRAINIAN MINORITY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: ETHNIC, NATIONAL
OR EUROPEAN IDENTITY?
ANZHELIKA KLAYZNER

Since  new  EU  member  states,  particularly  Central  and  Eastern  Europe  (CEE)
countries  –  Ukraine’s  neighbours  –  reach  a  new  stage  of  their  development  the
European communities’ unification naturally changes their inner structures. These
changes are characterized by intensification of civil society formation process and
development of democratic basis which are typical for highly developed European
states.
Thus,  for  the  future  European  society  and  particularly  for  Central  and  Eastern
European countries – neighbors of Ukraine, the solving of theoretical and practical
problems  concerning  ethnic  minorities  is  of  particular  importance,  especially  for
minimizing  the  threats  and  risks  existing  in  this  sphere.  According  to  European
standards, minorities’ rights require constant elaboration of political decisions and
practical instruments,  taking  into  account  multicultural  aspects  of the  present  day
situation  and  assisting  minorities’  self-definition.  The  most  important  component
of these processes has been waves of migration and the growth of local, regional,
ethnic, religious movements.
As far as Ukrainian minorities in the CEE countries are concerned the formation
of Ukraine as an independent state and its international cooperation in ethnic prob-
lems solving gives the possibility to foreign Ukrainians fully realize their minority
rights. However, the process of foreign Ukrainians assimilation increasingly devel-
ops.
The assimilation of Ukrainian population in the CEE countries is caused by ex-
ternal (dispersal residing, international marriages, segmentation of minority, nega-
tive  historical  stereotypes,  economical,  educational,  mass-media  problems,  etc.)
and internal factors. The latter includes low level of both ethnic self-awareness and
group consolidation: needless to say, the formation, stability and change of identity
should be regarded as a result of person’s decision. As the tights with the core of
Ukrainian ethnos are week the inner motivation for keeping the Ukrainian minority
as  a  single  ethnic  society  weakens.  The  factors  of  surroundings,  citizenship  and
orientation on the residence state become dominative. As a result, the minority self-
identification is foisted by political and social surroundings.

Anzhelika Klayzner : Ukrainian Minority in Central and Eastern European Countries: Ethnic, National or European Identity?
In: Regionality and/or Locality. Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2007. 137-140. p.
Discussion Papers, Special

138
ANZHELIKA KLAYZNER
The results of the recent population censuses in the countries concerned are ex-
amples of national identification of Ukrainian minority. The analysis of these cen-
suses,  as  compared  to  churches  and  non-governmental  organizations  statistical
data, shows significant disparity of Ukrainian population amount.
Beneath  the  examples  of  some  population  censuses  as  well  as  churches  and
other statistical and/or non-governmental organizations data are given:
1  In the beginning of the 90s the Ukrainians in Poland have been concerned to
number 300–350 thousands: in 1993 Parliament Research Administration of
Republic of Poland stated that there were 250–350 thousands of Ukrainians
in the state.1 In 1997 the Group on Minorities Rights counted even 350–500
thousands of Ukrainians.2 At the same time, according to the estimates of the
Orthodox  and  Greek-Catholic  churches,  the  Ukrainian  parishioners  amount
to average several hundreds of thousands.3 However the national population
census  gave  the  number  of  27,172  thousands  of  ethnic  Ukrainians  and  5,6
thousands of Lemkos (ethnographic group of Ukrainians).4
2  Since  the  government  of  the  Slovak  Republic  recognized  the  Rusyns  as  a
separate nationality the assimilation of Ukrainian population in this country
increased while the number of Rusyns rose: According to the Slovak Repub-
lic national population census data in 1991 Rusyns numbered 17197 persons,
Ukrainians  –  13281,  while  in  2001  року  в  Словаччині  Rusyns  numbered
24201 persons, Ukrainians – 10814.5
3  According to the Hungarian population census in 1990, 674 Ukrainians and
Rusyns have lived in Hungary.6 However the Association of Ukrainian Cul-
ture  to  Hungary  states  Ukrainians  in  this  country  to  number  from  3000  to
6000  persons.7  The  last  national  population  census  data  contains  5070
Ukrainians and 1090 Rusyns in the Hungarian Republic.8

1S. Lodzinski. Poland’s Policy towards National Minorities 1989–1993. – Warsaw, 1994.
2World Directory of Minorities/ By Minority Rights Group. London.
3М.Стріха.  Польща:  українське  “вікно  в  Європу”  чи  європейський  мур  перед  Азією?  //
Критика-Коментарі, 7 листопада 2002 р.// http://www.krytyka.kiev.ua/
4Ethnic ahd National Minorities in Poland http://www.mswia.gov.pl/eng_mn_narod_1_list.html.
5Population  and  Housing  Census  2001.  Statistical  Office  of  the  Slovak  Republic
http://www.statistics.sk/webdata/english/struk_a/census.htm.
6Контакти  між  людьми  та  питання  етнічних  меншин  у  відносинах  між  Україною  та
Угорщиною. / Розширення Європейського Союзу: вплив на відносини України з центрально-
європейськими  сусідами  /  Інститут  регіональних  та  євро  інтеграційних  досліджень
“ЄвроРегіо Україна”. – К., 2004.
7Хортяні Я. Із своєї дороги не зійдемо! // http://www.ukrajinci.hu/kisebbseg_tabl.htm.
8Hungary  National  and  Ethnic  Groups  http://www.magyarorszag.hu/angol/orszaginfo/orszag/
etnikum/nemzetisegek_a.html.

Anzhelika Klayzner : Ukrainian Minority in Central and Eastern European Countries: Ethnic, National or European Identity?
In: Regionality and/or Locality. Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2007. 137-140. p.
Discussion Papers, Special
UKRAINIAN MINORITY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES…
13
9
4  The Ukrainian minority in Romania, in accordance with the last population
census  in  1992,  numbers  more  than  67  thousands  of  persons.9  At  the  same
time  the  Union  of  Ukrainians  in  Romania  consider  that  the  real  number  is
approximately 250 thousands.10
There are many reasons of such a disparity like way of population census pro-
viding,  segmentation  of  Ukrainian  minority,  although  the  main  reason  consists  in
the following: there is a tendency of concealment the real ethnicity and the unwill-
ingness of Ukrainians to confess in common with the state being far from European
model.  While  the  possibility  to  identify  themselves  as  the  citizens  of  democratic
European  state  and  full  members  of  high  developed  Europe  seems  to  be  a  great
temptation.
From this relational perspective, citizens of CEE states – EU  members who at
the same time are the ethnic minority representatives (in this case – Ukrainian one)
cannot  identify  themselves  with  separate  local,  national  or  regional  identity  any
longer. There occurs the whole system of several levels of identities:
−  Level of ethnic-cultural identity,
−  Level of local identity,
−  Level of national identity,
−  Level of regional identity,
Each national identity abides in continued interaction with other national groups
and  united  European  Union  in  general.  Thus,  the  intertwining  of  European  and
national  components  in  collective  identities  occurs.  Moreover,  identity  no  longer
defined exclusively in reference to the nation or region but exhibit a variety of co-
existing  local-regional,  ethnic-cultural  and  supranational  communities  alongside
the national one.
Thus, we become the witnesses of the process of European identity formation.
This identity comprises all levels of identities and, in essence, it becomes suprana-
tional.  As far  as  foreign  Ukrainians  are  concerned, this  process,  like  anywhere  in
Europe, is irreversible. However it can be slowed down in the presence of at least
two components – “mother” state’s vigorous economical basis and the willingness
of minority itself to preserve its national and cultural originality.
Membership  in  the  European  Union  heralds  a  very  difficult  dilemma  for
Ukrainians  in  the  CEE  countries.  This  has  to  do  with  the  consequences  of  those
countries’  membership  for  their  border  regime  with  Ukraine.  Since  CEE  states

9Ethnic Minority Briefs www.divers.ro.
10Контакти між людьми та питання етнічних меншин у відносинах між Україною та Румунією.
/  Розширення  Європейського  Союзу:  вплив  на  відносини  України  з  центрально-
європейськими  сусідами  /  Інститут  регіональних  та  євро  інтеграційних  досліджень
“ЄвроРегіо Україна”. – К., 2004.