"Despite the many achievements we have won, the country's new constitution and organisation won't acknowledge that but are trying to reduce the powers of all minorities, not only the Croats," Croat representative Miso Hepp said after a meeting with Josipovic, adding that the new Hungarian constitution, which goes into force on January 1, spoke of "preserving" and not "protecting" minority languages.

Hepp said a bill on Hungary's regional organisation replaced counties with districts and that the Croatian minority did not know to which district it would belong.

He said the funds Croatia set aside for Croatian minorities had trouble reaching the Hungarian Croats who, at about 800,000, are the third biggest minority in the neighbouring country.

Josipovic visited a Croatian kindergarten, elementary and secondary school and a dorm in Budapest, telling the press that although the minority policies benefitted minorities as links between the states, the governments still had things to improve.

"You are in Hungary but are preserving Croatian roots, just as the Hungarian minority is doing in Croatia, he said.

"Croatia and Hungary, with excellent relations, contribute to the policy of friendship and love, just as you do," he said, wrapping up his two-day visit to Hungary.