Minister for Foreign Affairs

His Excellency

Mr. Max van der Stoel

OSCE High Commissioner

on National Minorities

New York, 26 September 1995

Dear Mr. High Commissioner,

In response to your kind letter making final assessments and recommendations on the situation of the Slovak minority in Hungary, based on your personal and the Team of Experts' experience, let me first of all express my sincere gratitude andf appreciatiopn for the valuable work you and the Team have done during the past two years.

In 1993, when Hungary and Slovakia requested that you dispatch a Team of Experts to study the situation of the respective minorities in these countries, our Governments believed that your activities would help the inyternational community to have a clear picture of the situation of these minorities, and to receive information on the initiatives and measures taken by the two Governments to implement commitments in order to improve the situation of national minorities.

I believe that your last two letters, providing recommendations, were very useful in this regard. I highly appreciate your balanced approach to issues that are extremely delicate and often have historical roots.

With regard to your assessments and recommendations, my first and general comment is that the state of assimilation of the Slovak community in Hungary had been far advanced before the democratic changes took place. I would also like to emphasize that in the course of history the Slovak community sought and found a new home in Hungary through voluntary settlement sporadivally all over the country while Hungarians forming large, homogenous communities now in countries, adjacent to Hungary happen to be minorities there as a result of the peace treaties that concluded World War I.

The present Hungarian Government, in accordqance with its programme, is taking steps to stop and, if possible, to reverse the process of assimilation of the Slovak minority. During their latest meeting in Brno, Prime Minister Gyula Horn presented Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar a document outlinbing the Hungarian Government's plans aimed at bringing to a halt the assimilation of the Slovak minority. For your information, I enclose herewith a copy of that document. At the same time it is important to note that in addition to the efforts taken by the Hungarian Government, any radical change in this situation of the Slovak minority requires active contribution by the representatives of the Slovak minority as well as by the Slovak Government. We believe, however, that the rights of the Hungarian community in Slovakia, consisting of 600.000 members, and those of the 100.000 members of the Slovak minority living in Hungary cannot be expected to match item by item. We, therefore, would not agree with the introduction of reprocity in this regard.

Concerning funding of the self-governing bodies, I think it is worth stressing th6ta the subsidy extended directly to them is not funding for the minority-related activity of local authorities, but simply auxiliary support for the minority self-governing bodies.

Apart from the quota of 114,000 Forints, which is shortly to be doubled, each minority self-governing body in Hungary also receivesother provisions essential to its operation. These include, for instance, funding for basic activities and for furnishing premises by the local authorities, state-provided headquarters, etc.

Distinct from these benefits designed to ensure the operation of the minority self-governing bodies, there is also financing for minority activity. Although the minority leaders had hoped to control these types of funding, it was agreed at the negotiations with them to establish the Public Foundation for National and Ethnic Minorities in Hungary, with a budget of 400 million Forints. This assigns the subsidies for activities using a system of competitive applications. Further funds are thus gained by the self-governing bodies and minority groups that make specific initiatives to preserve, nurture and develop their identity, language and traditions. This makes it possible to avoid having these sums of money merely swollen by the bureaucracy of the self-governing bodies.

A regrettable obstacle arose when it took three moinths to register the Public Foundation with the Courts. It was able to start its activity only in the last few days. For the Public Foundation to perform its tasks successfully, however, it is essential to have initiatives from representatives of the minority self-governing bodies.

A codification committee will begin to work this autumn on harmonizing respective laws, in order to improve relations between the administration of the state, the local authorities and the minority self-governing bodies, and to avoid conflicts over their powers. The committee consists of representatives of ministries and of national minoprities self-governing bodies.

On the issue of education for the Slovak minority, it is essential to underline the Government's readiness to support all forms of education claimed by those concerned. The primary reason for Slovak language education is its use and benefit for members of the Slovak community. Some parents belonging to the minority have called for Slovak to be the sole language of instruction for their children . At present, however, even to establish a single school teaching in Slovak and mahe a few educational institutions bilingual are goals requiring major efforts not only from the State, but also from the minority itself. It should be underlined that the efforts of the Hungarian Government can be successfull only if coupled with initiatives from the minority and sup[port and attention from its mother country.

Among the achievements, however, it can be stated that the conversion of Budapest's Slovak Grammar School to a single language of instruction is underway. A regional Slovak cultural centre is being setup in the town of Békéscsaba in a building supplied to the Slovak minority self-governing body by the Békéscsaba local authorities. It is worth noting that the new institution teaching the Slovak language, the Slovak Institute at the Péter Pázmány Catholic University of Theology opened in 1992. The Slovak institute has developed an excellent reputation in Slovakia as well.

Until minority representation in Parliament is attained the forum for reconciling minority interests will be the Minority Interest Conciliation Council (KET). The minority self-governing bodies have received the proposal for founding this Council. Its members will be delegates of the national minority self-governing bodies and the minorities that have not formed such bodies, and representatives of the Government. The task of the KET will be to study, discuss and assess matters of domestic minority policy at the initiative of any participant, to scrutinize how legislation and international treaties and other commitments are implemented, to coordinate politically and professionally, national, regional and local minority policy, and to develop cooperation between minorities.

It should be noted, however, that representatives of the national minority self-governing bodies already take an active part in preparing decisions. They have a chance to contribute to the work of requisite parliamentary committees. Their right to be consulted on legislation affecting minorities is enshrined in the Minorities Act.

Finally, I am pleased to inform you that a Parliamentary Commissioner for Minority Rights was appointed by the Goverment on June 30, along with a general ombudsman and an ombudsman for data protection. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Minority Rights is Mr. Péter Kaltenbach, a member of the German minority. The Parliamentary Commissioner's Office has been established as well. The scope of responsibility of the Commissioner for Minority Rights is not confined to examining conflicts with a minority aspects after the event, but includes measures to avoid such conflicts.

In conclusion allow me, Mr. High Commissioner, to emphasize that we do not consider our work to be done, rather, we ought to turn to the next chapter of development, full tasks and responsibilities. In this we rely on the activities of national minorities as well as on the cooperation and advice of international organizations. the Hungarian Government supports the continuation of your valuable mission, including the visits by the Team of Experts, and is looking forward to cooperating closely in the forthcoming year.

Yours sincerely,

(signature)

(László Kovács)