MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 31 (159)/2005

[minelres@lists.microlink.lv]

Original sender: Divers Bulletin <edivers_buletin-admin@mediafax.ro>


Divers Bulletin no. 31 (159) / August 8, 2005

News
SEVERIN VS BASESCU � DISCRIMINATION OR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?
MARKO BELA: �JOINING EU MEANS HUGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSYLVANIA� 
NEW SERVICE IN HUNGARIAN FROM ROMTELECOM
CLASSES OF FLORIST-DECORATOR FOR ETHNIC ROMA
SANITARY CENTER FOR ROMA IN CENTRAL ROMANIA

---------------------------------------------------------------------

News

SEVERIN VS BASESCU � DISCRIMINATION OR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?

BUCHAREST � National Council to Fight Discrimination (CNCD)
self-informed on August 3 as regards an article of the former president
of the Parliamentary Meeting of OSCE, namely deputy Adrian Severin.
In an editorial published by Ziua daily, Severin said that president
Traian Basescu is "a Tatar and behaves with the Romanians just like
Grusinian Stalin behaved with the Russian or Austrian Hitler with the
Germans".
The respective article called "The epopee of the frustrated people" aims
to explain the reason for which Traian Basescu enjoys Romanians�
confidence. Severin believes that Basescu managed to stir up the
Romanians� enthusiasm through awaking a feeling of social vendetta of
the people frustrated by their own lack of success. According to the
editorialist, Traian Basescu is supported by those who hate the national
society for not having been able to integrate and remained poor or are
being ignored, and the image of the Romanian society, the way Severin
describes it, is disastrous and similar to the German crisis in the
'30s. 
CNCD president Asztalos Csaba said the self-information of the Council
is more serious as it does not pertain to one simple person
discrimination but to the discrimination of an entire community, namely
the Tatar one, which was put in a bad light. Nevertheless, he showed
this is not an easy decision to make as it is at the limit between
discrimination and freedom of expression. "This is not the first case of
this type in the past three years since CNCD has been functioning,
namely a case of freedom of expression versus discrimination.
In court, we already have a certain judicial practices under
development. The court has leaned towards the freedom of expression
rather than to the discrimination�, said Asztalos Csaba. CNCD has
already sent written demand to deputy Adrian Severin to make a stand as
regards the things he wrote, taking into account the legislation on
preventing and fighting discrimination. In five days and after CNCD is
submitted all the points of view of the people involved, the Council
Chairmanship will debate the file. Following the deliberation, it will
be decided whether this is a case of discrimination.
The possible sanctions are a warning or a fine ranking between ROL 4-40
m. 
Author: DIVERS


MARKO BELA: �JOINING EU MEANS HUGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSYLVANIA� 

TIRGU MURES � During the period of accession to the European Union,
Transylvania is facing with huge opportunities, for which Democratic
Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) must constantly plead in the
government as there is serious opposition towards the development of the
Transylvanian regions, stated on July 30, vice-Premier Marko Bela. 
Marko, who is also UDMR president, said the role of UDMR politicians has
significantly changed since before they worked in the legislative, many
of them currently developing the activity in the government, namely in
various governmental departments. Marko Bela mentioned that as far as he
is concerned, since 1990, one of the most important tasks was to work in
compliance with the interests of the ethnic Hungarian community in
Romania and of UDMR. 
Minister delegate for Public Works and Land Planning Borbely Laszlo said
it is an extremely important step that, at UDMR initiative, the
government started significant investments in the counties from the
Szeckler�s County. The minister also mentioned that UDMR has serious
works to develop in this field as in the past decades, Transylvania has
received less funds from the central budget meant to the infrastructural
investments.
Talking about the importance of the internal pluralism, Marko Bela said
that UDMR needs a powerful and fair opposition. "We need the opposition
anyway, but we could take it seriously and it is worth taking into
account only a powerful and fair opposition. The internal opposition
that lies and calumniates has no credibility. We cannot accept critics
from such an opposition", said UDMR president. 
Author: DIVERS


NEW SERVICE IN HUNGARIAN FROM ROMTELECOM

BUCHAREST � Romanian telecommunication company Romtelecom launched new
directory assistance 932, in Hungarian language for ethnic Hungarians in
Romania. In the following days, more than a million Magyar speaking
persons will be able to use the service from the Romtelecom network or
from other networks, using a prefix. The tariff for the new service it
is similar with the one for 931service, of EUR 0.15 per 3 minutes in the
Romtelecom network. The service can be used between 7am and 10pm in
every day of the week and might be extended to the night period as well,
if necessary.
Author: DIVERS


CLASSES OF FLORIST-DECORATOR FOR ETHNIC ROMA

BRASOV � Following a project developed by Tarlungeni City Hall (Brasov
county), in collaboration with AXE Foundation and Ethnic Roma
Association in the locality, about 100 ethnic Roma will become
florist-decorator experts, informs daily Adevarul. 
The project is worth EUR51,985, out of which EUR48,985 is the EU
contribution through Phare program, the rest being ensured from the
local budget. In addition, the County Agency for Labour Recruitment
(AJOFM) Brasov ensured the necessary funds to train the 100 ethnic Roma
persons in the localities Tarlungeni, Zizin and Budila. 
The class has two-month length, with 10 hours of theoretical classes per
week and practical applications of 20 hours weekly. "It is aimed the
acknowledgement of a system of theoretical knowledge and practical
skills. The initiative meets the need of the flower traders, rendering
the future florists more familiar with the general problems of
cultivating specific vegetal materials, with the optimum periods of
harvesting, with the protection and conservation methods, with the
aesthetics of the compositions based on vegetal and flower material and
with the apprehension of the specific administrative-commercial
techniques", said the executive director with AJOFM Brasov, Doru Jebac. 
Subsequent to the finalization of the class, the graduates will be
employed with an open-ended contract by the commercial company
established and basically financed through PHARE program.
The production will focus upon the production of funeral coronets in
needle leaves, decorative coronets and flower arrangements. 
Author: DIVERS


SANITARY CENTER FOR ROMA IN CENTRAL ROMANIA

TIRGOVISTE � Ethnic Roma colony Mija, in commune I.L. Caragiale,
Dimbovita county benefits, starting August, from a medico-sanitary
centre equipped with medical devices necessary for the first aid. The
over 1000 ethnic Roma in the locality will have access to medical and
social services ensured by two family medics, a medical nurse and a
social nurse. This centre aims to promote the sanitary education and
family planning in the ethnic Roma community in commune I.L. Caragiale.
According to a release of the General Department of Social Care and
Child Protection Dimbovita the investment is worth EUR15,000, which is a
non-payable financing granted through Phare program. 
Author: DIVERS

--------------------------------------------
DIVERS - News bulletin about ethnic minorities living in Romania is
edited every week by MEDIAFAX, with the financial support of King
Baudouin Foundation, Belgium and Ethnocultural Diversity Resource
Center. Partial or full reproduction of the information contained in
DIVERS is allowed only if the source is mentioned. You can send messages
and suggestions regarding the content of DIVERS bulletin at MEDIAFAX,
Str. Tudor Arghezi, Nr. 3B, Sector 2 - Bucharest, tel: 021/ 305.31.91 or
at the e-mail address:
divers@mediafax.ro

---------------------------------------------
This message was sent using Endymion MailMan.
http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/ http://www.microlink.com/