Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Minority Protection European Issue, says PM Commissioner Szili

Minority Protection European Issue, says PM Commissioner Szili

The issue of national minorities is not a domestic issue but a European one, Katalin Szili, the prime minister’s commissioner in charge of minority protection and autonomy, said in Budapest on Saturday.
The European Union is prepared to address the issues of all kinds of minorities except that of the 50 million people belonging to national minorities making up 10 percent of the bloc’s population, Szili said in her address to the general assembly of the Western European Association of Hungarian Country Organizations (NYEOMSZSZ).

Szili cited as an example a resolution adopted by the European Parliament in 2019 on the fundamental rights of the people of African descent which included the recognition of their right to work and housing, adding that the EP had never passed a similar resolution on national minorities.

Hungary therefore represents its proposals in connection with this matter through the Council of Europe (CoE), Szili said. Hungary has organized a number of conferences on minority protection during its six-month CoE presidency, which had led to the drafting of the so-called Strasbourg Declaration stating that the issue of national minorities is not a domestic issue but a European one and that national identity and citizenship are distinct concepts, she added.

Other countries should follow Hungary in recognizing the role national minorities play in shaping their states, she said, adding that this was currently not the case in Romania, Slovakia, and France.

Szili proposed that the general assembly’s closing statement declare NYEOMSZSZ’s support for the Hungarian government’s “consistent policy for ethnic Hungarians abroad”, for the Strasbourg Declaration as well as for the Minority SafePack European citizens’ initiative and the initiative on protecting national minority regions.

Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, proposed transforming NYEOMSZSZ into a pan-European organization and including central European and Balkan countries in it, too.

As regards the Hungarian government’s minority policy, he said last year it had supported a total of 270 activities of 82 institutions dealing with national minorities.

Also, the government has provided grants totalling 132 million forints (EUR 365,900) to 208 applicants from the Hungarian diaspora this year to help with operational costs and development projects, he said. Further, some 43 million forints has been disbursed among 138 applicants in support of their events, he added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×