Support for the Hungarian Status Law in the European Parliament

Mr. Elmar Brok, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament, gave an interview to the Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet in which he expressed his conviction that the Hungarian Status Law is a headway example in the experiment of building the Europe of the future.

Dátum: 2003-02-13 09:21:00, eredeti URL: http://archiv.fidesz.hu/index.php?Cikk=7644
KCMDB-be feltöltve: 2024-05-04 18:04:05.642898, Feltöltő: fidesz_hu_scraper_v2

The letter addressed by Commissioner for Enlargement Günther Verheugen to Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy evoked widespread debate in Hungary whether the assistance provided by kin-states to kin-minorities could be considered as discriminatory in the European Union. What significance do you attach to this letter?

Close to the accession of the twelve candidate countries, by now it is almost clear that the European Union will have to address one important feature of these countries: they have important number of minorities in their own countries, and most of them have kin-minorities outside the countries.

Indifferently to the ongoing theoretical debate about the nation, national minority, national community, the existence of these millions of people is a question of fact and these individuals do have the right to the free choice of identity and promotion of this identity. This is not a mere question of the accession, and to make statements on the rather complex issue of "nation" is not the competency of the Commission. All organs of the EU must be aware of the fact that according to Council Directive 2000/43/EC, assistance to national or ethnic minorities cannot be considered as discrimination, as it is designed to create equal chances for the minority in question.

The debate on "nation" has been on the agenda for long decades. It would be a mistake against the whole enlarged Europe to send wrong or easily misinterpreted messages on these issues towards the acceeding countries right before their referendum on the EU accession will take place.

What solution can you envisage on behalf of the European Union in order to promote the settlement of the issue of national minorities?

The EU will have to work on common principles, accepted by those mostly affected, in order to give the right, EU compatible answer to the questions these countries in Europe have to confront: how to promote the identity and how to keep ties with those millions who by fate of history became citizens of other countries, but still wish to keep their original identity and language, without breaking solidarity with their country of citizenship.

With the effective implementation of one of the basic EU principles, the principle of subsidiarity and the protection of human, including minority rights, the above questions will find adequate answer. As they certainly did in the case of some EU-countries from South Tyrol to Schleswig Holstein. From this aspect, the Report of the Venice Commission on the Preferential Treatment of National Minorities is even more important. It can be regarded as a crucial document, whereas it refers to all the basic principles, as well as to the full implementation of the important international, bilateral and national documents on the matter. The Venice Commission also acknowledged that "the emerging of new and original forms of minority protection, particularly by the kin-States, constitutes a positive trend insofar as they can contribute to the realisation of this goal". The Hungarian Status Law, adopted by an over 90 percent majority in the Hungarian Parliament, may be regarded as a headway example in the experiment of building the Europe of the future.

The goal is the same for the whole Europe: to promote stability, democratic security and peace. Cultural diversity, which consists of the different cultures of nations, national minorities, national communities - indifferently according to which theory or terminology they identify themselves - constitutes a richness for the European Union and is a precondition to peace.

Magyar Nemzet, 13 February 2003