It was during the OHTE First Annual Conference that Hungary’s Ministerial Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Ferenc Kalmár,  publicy announced Hungary’s intention to become an Observer State to the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe. The announcement was followed in December 2021 by the decision of the Governing Board :  to grant observer status to Hungary  starting 1 January 2022 for one year. Mr Kalmár expressed hope that Hungary’s initiative to become an observer may inspire also other countries to cooperate with the Observatory.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, elaborated the importance that history teaching  bears for creating mutual respect among different cultures in Europe. In his letter to the Chair of the Governing Board of the Observatory, Mr Alain Lamassoure, the Minister stated that the possibility to participate as an Observer state, would allow Hungary to gain important insights about the functioning of the Observatory. In his reply letter, Mr Lamassoure declared to “highly welcome Hungary’s initiative and interest in the work of the Observatory and dare to hope that this marks only the first step of a fruitful cooperation between Hungary and the Observatory in the years to come.”

The Executive Director of the Observatory Aurora Ailincai welcomed the Hungarian initiative: “The joining of states under the Observer status is a very important step for our enlargement process. It offers countries the opportunity to develop their own understanding of the Observatory’s work based on first-hand experiences and to understand in an empirical manner the added value that full membership can bring. For Council of Europe member States that are hesitant to join the Observatory, Hungary’s example gaining Observer status can provide a solution to being involved in the discussions regarding history teaching up to one year before deciding on full membership.”