1989 was not a real turning point in the acceptance of the past. The agent issue remained a neuralgic point.

The article discusses the delayed public access to agent files in Hungary compared to other former socialist countries. While Hungary has only recently begun to open these files, countries like the Czech Republic and Slovakia established clear laws for transparency soon after their transitions from communism. The Czech Republic implemented a lustration law that barred former agents from holding public office, while Slovakia faced delays under Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar. After his tenure, Slovakia created the National Memory Institute to manage and disclose these files. The article emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the past and ensuring public access to historical records, despite differing approaches in various countries.