MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 7 (135)/2005

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Divers Bulletin no. 7 (135) / February 28, 2005

News

COMUNITAS FOUNDATION ALLOTS ROL5.4 bn TO HUNGARIAN LANGUAGE PRESS 

UDMR EXPLICITLY ASKS A HUNGARIAN DEPARTMENT WITHIN BABES BOLYAI
UNIVERSITY 

HUNGARIAN ORGANIZATION TO CREATE NEW PARTY 

ETHNIC ROMA CELEBRATES 149 YEARS SINCE HAVING REGAINED FREEDOM 

NEW GENERATION OF ETHNIC ROMA JOURNALISTS GRADUATE JOURNALISM CLASSES 


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News

COMUNITAS FOUNDATION ALLOTS ROL5.4 bn TO HUNGARIAN LANGUAGE PRESS 

TIRGU-MURES � �Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania UDMR is
significantly present in the Government of Romania and wants this
position helps the Magyar press in Transylvania�, stated the
vice-premier Marko Bela at the meeting with the representatives of the
Hungarian written and audiovisual press in Romania that took place on
February 19, at Tirgu-Mures.
First of all, Marko Bela thanked the press for the support given the
Union during the electoral campaign, claiming this help is form of
solidarity the Magyar community in Transilvania united to the
organization to defend the own interests.
Talking about the priorities of the Union within the plan of the
governing, Marko Bela that in March, it will be settled the law draft of
the minorities to regulate the statute of the minorities� organizations
and will set the premises of a cultural autonomy.
Altogether, UDMR chairman announced that Comunitas Foundation allots
this year ROL5.4 bn to support the Magyar press in Romania, against
ROL4.9 bn last year. On the other hand, UDMR does not believe the
commercial Magyar television in Transilvania is established in the next
future, financed by the Hungarian government. �Cluj Territorial Studio
of TVR should daily broadcast programs of a couple of hours and the
public studio in Tirgu-Mures should start the activity�, stated Marko
Bela. He added that in view of coordinating the Magyar shows, a meeting
of the workers in the Magyar radio and television editorial staff would
be summoned in a short time.
Author: DIVERS


UDMR EXPLICITLY ASKS A HUNGARIAN DEPARTMENT WITHIN BABES BOLYAI
UNIVERSITY 

CLUJ-NAPOCA - The Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR)
asked the drawing up of a Government Decision to establish a department
in Hungarian language at University Babes Bolyai (UBB) in Cluj.
UDMR chairman Marko Bela stated on Saturday, February 19, during a press
conference, the rectors of the Magyar education institutions support the
enlargement of the education in the mother tongue. Marko Bela met the
members of the Council of Representatives within the Hungarian Superior
Education, which proposed the reorganization of the resident exams and
the distribution of the number of positions at the level of counties.
According to Marko, the topic regarding the reorganization of the
education in the Magyar language within University Babes-Bolyai in
Cluj-Napoca was discussed. "It is required the enactment of a Government
decision to establish a Hungarian department�, stated Marko Bela.
UDMR chairman said the academic and high education in Romania undergo a
reorganization process and the Union aims at increasing the quality of
the academic Magyar education.
As regards Education Law, Marko claimed this must be changed to enable
the teaching of history and geography in the higher grades and the law
should also regulate the functioning of the confessional education. 
UDMR is speeding the signup of a Romanian-Hungarian inter-state
agreement on the joint financing of Sapientia University, reason for
which negotiations would be initiated with the two Premiers and the
titular of the ministries in charge. The chairman of the Department for
the Hungarians Abroad Balint Pataki Joszef had stated in November 2004,
the Hungarian Government stipulated in the budget for 2005, the
allotting of two billion florins for Sapientia University. Balint said
the money would go to the university centers in Oradea, Cluj-Napoca,
Miercurea Ciuc and Tirgu Mures.
Chairman Marko Bela stressed out that UDMR is subsequently stressing
upon the modernization and rationalization of Romanian language teaching
in the schools and Magyar classes and will continue to focus upon the
problem of establishing Magyar departments and faculties within
University Babes-Bolyai.
Magyar representatives said it is a good decision to settle the school
figure within the Hungarian line of Medicine Faculty in Tg. Mures,
claiming this will end the permanent fluctuation concerning the number
of Magyar students and teachers.
Nevertheless, the Romanian government hesitates to make a radical
decision on establishing faculties teaching Magyar language within
University "Babes-Bolyai" (UBB). This was explicitly said by minister of
Education and Research (MEC) Mircea Miclea, who at end-January, rejected
UDMR�s request. Miclea said he is "categorically" against the
segregation upon ethnical criteria.
As regards another request from UDMR, namely the Government of Romania
next to that of Hungary, finances the Magyar private university
"Sapientia", minister Miclea said this university is about to be
accredited and then it would be discussed an eventual financing form.
Government of Hungary contributes with two billion florins annually at
the functioning of "Sapientia" University.
Author: DIVERS


HUNGARIAN ORGANIZATION TO CREATE NEW PARTY 

COVASNA - The Hungarian Civic Union (UCM) will start collecting
signatures next month to support the creation of a new Hungarian
political party meant to offer an alternative to the Hungarian
Democratic Alliance (UDMR).
The leader of UCM's Covasna branch, Gazda Zoltan, has said that the
union will continue working as a civic organization and the party will
be organized separately.
The new party will offer an alternative to the UDMR and its program will
be based on autonomy and the idea of institutional autonomy in
Transylvania, he said. To be able to register the new organization, the
union must raise at least 25,000 signatures. 
Author: DIVERS


ETHNIC ROMA CELEBRATES 149 YEARS SINCE HAVING REGAINED FREEDOM 

BUCHAREST � Roma Associations Satra/A.S.T.R.A. � �Amare Rromentza� and
ArtisRroma along with Ministry of Education and Research and
UNICEFcelebrated on Friday, February 18, 149 years since the enactment
in the Romanian Principalities of the legislation on releasing ethnic
Roma from slavery.
�Unfortunately, the moment of regaining freedom did not also mean the
moment of ethnic Roma social and cultural integration. Despite the
legislation ensuring the development of the identity of each minority in
part, we must go beyond the social problems and those of intolerance
because of non-admittance of history and culture of ethnic Roma�, stated
presidential councilor Renate Weber.
On the other hand, academician Constantin Balaceanu-Stolnici showed that
beyond the social problems, the ethnic Roma community also needs a real
cultural and spiritual admission that completes the juridical admission
accomplished through the action in 1856. �Slavery was ethnic Roma
condition during entire Middle Age, after that following until 1856. I
hope that through today�s commemoration, we settle a tradition by means
of which we redirect ethnic Roma mentality�, also said Constantin
Balaceanu-Stolnici, who wanted to mention the family of boyards he comes
from released ethnic Roma slaves on the estates long before the law in
1856.
Ethnic Roma representatives complained about the lack of a public debate
regarding the slavery and its effects, as well as the inconsistency of a
public recognition of responsibility. �As it was publicly showed as
regards the responsibility of Jewish Holocaust, we want the same thing
is made as regards ethnic Roma slavery. We do not aim at financial
compensations, but compensatory measures mean a monument in memory of
the suffering during that period, the establishment of a study center,
the granting of scholarships supporting the historic research�, stated
Delia Grigore, the chairman of Amare Rromentza organization. �We undergo
a stage of spiritual emancipation. We have been expecting a gesture from
a spiritual institution for 150 years, namely Romanian Orthodox Church,
as the monasteries had slaves on their estates�.
The festivity continued through various manifests that included the
varnishing in the Museum Hall in Bucharest with several ethnic Roma
painters and a group of children taking part in a creation camp in the
summer of 2004. On this occasion, it also took place a book launching of
the ethnic Roma writer in Craiova Valerica Stanescu, which was called
�Legile satrei�. The event ended with a poetry recital and ethnic Roma
music. 
Author: DIVERS


NEW GENERATION OF ETHNIC ROMA JOURNALISTS GRADUATE JOURNALISM CLASSES 

BUCHAREST � The fourth edition of the program for journalist training
for ethnic Roma concludes at the end of this month, other 12 youngsters
being supposed to work as professional journalists in several editorial
offices in Bucharest.
The program initiated by the Center for Independent Journalism (CJI) is
an intensive module to initiate and to train ethnic Roma youngsters,
high-school and university graduates. �For three months, the youngsters
were trained to become professional journalists, learning to edit news
and to produce tv, radio and photo-journalism�, stated Georgiana Ilie,
CJI�s program coordinator.
Subsequently, young ethnic Roma worked for six months in professional
editorial offices, such as �Cotidianul�, �Jurnalul national�, �Europa
FM�, �MixFM�, �Radio 21�, �Realitatea romaneasca�, �Curierul national�,
�Realitatea TV�, �Radio Delta RFI�, �National TV�. �Everywhere they
practiced this job, the young ethnic Roma were very well received by the
colleagues in the press, who proved they see their colleagues as
professionals and not representatives of a certain ethnic. All the 12
graduates will be employed at the end of the program, which is a proof
of the good training and hard-work�, also stated Georgiana Ilie. In the
first three editions of CJI classes, 29 youngsters graduated the class,
most of whom are now working in the central and local press.
Author: DIVERS


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