MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Diversity Briefs, No.48

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Mediafax <divers@mediafax.ro>


No. 48 / March 23, 2003 
  
DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity - 
 
SUMMARY 

 
1. MAGYARS' DAY CELEBRATED IN ROMANIA...
2. ... WHILE ROMANIAN PM GREETS HUNGARIAN COMMUNITY
3. JURGENS REPORT: STATUS LAW TO BE CHANGED BY THE OPINION OF NEIGHBOR
COUNTRIES
4. HUNGARY PRESENTS TO SLOVAKIA AMENDMENT TO STATUS LAW
5. ETHNIC MINORITIES ORGANIZATIONS PRINT THEIR OWN TEXTBOOKS 

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MAGYARS' DAY CELEBRATED IN ROMANIA...
TIRGU-MURES - Ethnic Hungarian from Transylvania on March 15 celebrated
the Day of Magyars All Around and commemorated the Hungarian heroes of
the Revolution in 1848. Since it has become a habit in the past years,
the celebration was deployed without spectacular events to happen:
religious services were carried out, flowers were laid down, national
anthems of Romania and Hungary were sung. Nevertheless, for the first
time, visiting Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs was hissed in
TIrgu-Mures on 15 March by members of the radical groups in the
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania, RFE/RL reports. Kovacs was
in the town to attend celebrations of the Hungarian 1848-49 revolution
and war of independence and met with his Romanian counterpart Mircea
Geoana. The daily "Curierul" reported on 17 March that members of the
newly established Reformist Movement hissed Kovacs and said it is
"unacceptable to have a former member of the Hungarian Communist Party
preach on liberty and democracy." Besides, in Cluj, nationalist Mayor
Gheorghe Funar organized a counterdemonstration in memory of what he
said were the 40,000 Romanian victims of 1848-49, and he ordered that
hooks be removed from utility poles to prevent ethic Hungarians from
hanging wreaths with the Hungarian national colors. (DIVERS) 


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... WHILE ROMANIAN PM GREETS HUNGARIAN COMMUNITY
BUCHAREST - Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase paid tribute to the
Hungarian community of Romania on the occasion of March 15, anniversary
of the outbreak of the Hungarian revolution and war of independence
against the Habsburg Empire in 1848/49, MTI reports.In a message of
greetings, Nastase said one can say that both at home and in relations
between Romania and Hungary, the greatest barriers to mutual confidence
and understanding have been eliminated. The Romanian PM added that March
1848 symbolised the arrival of spring for the peoples of central Europe.
It was a defining moment of our advance into a modern era, of our
awakening, and of the conscious recognition of our identities. At that
time, it was the beginning of a journey. If we look back on it from
today, we will see that many of our political and social objectives are
really a continuation of the course that was set at that time, he said.
Nastase stressed that the current Romanian government had been working
consistently in its effort to draw closer to the Hungarian community. It
wants its political measures to comply with the expectations of the
Hungarian community to the greatest possible extent, and in manifesting
this policy it has found the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania to be
an extraordinarily serious and pragmatic ally. The PM particularly
emphasised the consistence with which the Democratic Union has
represented the interests of the Hungarian community of Romania.
(DIVERS) 


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JURGENS REPORT: STATUS LAW TO BE CHANGED BY THE OPINION OF NEIGHBOR
COUNTRIES
SUCEAVA - The law regarding ethnic Hungarians from neighboring countries
will have to be changed by the Budapest authorities only after having
consulted Romania and ASlovakia, indicates the Jurgens report passed by
the legal Commission of European Council's Parliamentary Meeting,
announced on Friday, March 14, the chairman of Romanian delegation to
the forum, senator Gheorghi Prisacaru. He pointed out the report, which
is to be debated by the Parliamentary Meeting of the European Council,
stipulates the change made by the Hungarian Parliament must be performed
only by learning the opinions of the neighbor countries interested in or
involved in such a situation. "We cannot agree with Hungarian Parliament
to have talks only with certain structure enclosing the Magyars all
around the world, yet we, the neighbor countries, should also be
accounted, before the proposal of the new law draft to be enacted in
Hungarian Parliament, enclosing the necessary amendments ", said
Prisacaru. "The law includes provisions relating to extraterritoriality
and seems to be discriminatory with the minority population, which also
triggered the concern of the Hungary's neighbor countries. This law does
not comply with the European norms about minorities, acknowledged by the
European structures, mainly by the European Council, but also by OSCE
and by the European Union ", added Prisacaru. (DIVERS) 


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HUNGARY PRESENTS TO SLOVAKIA AMENDMENT TO STATUS LAW
BUDAPEST - Hungary presented to Slovakia's Foreign Affairs Ministry on
March 14 a proposed amendment to its controversial status act, the state
secretary at the prime minister's office in Budapest, Vilmos Szabo, told
the TASR news agency.
The legislation, valid since 2002 January, gives ethnic Hungarians in
neighboring countries the right to various benefits in travel,
education, employment and other areas. The first attempt to amend the
law, under pressure from Slovakia, Romania and the European Union, who
consider it discriminatory and having extra-territorial effect, was
recently put forward but encountered opposition from neighbouring
governments. According to Szabo, who is responsible for minority issues,
Budapest has also been discussing the date of a meeting of the mixed
Slovak-Hungarian commission tackling the contentious issue, and after
consultations with the Slovak side the date should be known by next
week. The presentation of the amended wording of the bill and the
meeting of the mixed commission was agreed to by Hungary's Foreign
Minister Laszlo Kovacs and his Slovak counterpart Eduard Kukan in
Bratislava two weeks ago.  


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ETHNIC MINORITIES ORGANIZATIONS PRINT THEIR OWN TEXTBOOKS
BUCHAREST - Democrat Forum of Germans from Romania (FDGR) this year is
to print three new textbooks for the 11-th and 12-th grade students,
Chemistry being the first one, indicated State secretary in Public
Information Ministry (MIP), Ovidiu Gantz. The possibility for the
national minorities organizations to print textbooks in particular
languages and paid by means of budgetary allowances is stipulated in
this year's bill, and turned up after it was grasped the publishing
houses hold no commercial reason to print by own funds such textbooks.
Last year, MIP gave financial support for the translation and printing
procedures to Physics textbook in German language for 11-th grade
students, yet also for two textbooks in Magyar language, one in Serbian
language and another in Russian. The most active organization in the
field is still represented by the German Forum which, after having been
granted significant amounts from RFG and Austria governments, but also
from some private German companies or foundations, succeeded in editing
textbooks for 6 subjects of study for 10-th grade (Mathematics, Physics,
Chemistry, Biology, History and Geography). The current legislation does
not stipulate State compulsory subsidization for high school textbooks,
this provision being inflicted only for compulsory education courses.
(DIVERS) 


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