Hungary expects 80,000 citizens of Serbia to request its citizenship on the basis of a law that will make it possible, as of this year, for Hungarians who live in other countries to do so, the Hungarian ambassador to Serbia, Oszkar Nikowitz, stated on Jan. 3.

In an interview for the EurActiv Serbia portal, Nikowitz said that this presumption is based on the results of surveys which have shown that a third of Hungarians in Serbia are interested in obtaining the citizenship of Hungary.

"We do not expect mass immigration, even by those who obtain our citizenship," Nikowitz said, adding that Hungary had so far enabled easier employment for the people from neighboring countries and that all those who were interested had already taken advantage of that opportunity.