Youth in action – Meeting of traditional minorities and immigrants in Cristuru Secuiesc
Young people from five countries are attending the „Minorities and Immigrants of the European Union, Unite!” exchange programme between the 22nd and 29th of September in Cristuru Secuiesc.
The event was organized by the Youth Association of Transylvania, based in Cristuru Secuiesc, through the European Commission’s Youth in Action programme. The participants arrived from Estonia, France, Italy and Portugal. During the week-long event they will be debating the situation of national minorities and immigrants in the European Union. Beside the youth from the national majorities, the states are represented by young people from minorities, like the Latvian and Russian minority from Estonia, the Arabic and Asian immigrants from France, the North African and Eastern European immigrants from Italy, the immigrants from Sao Tome and Principe from the former Portuguese colonies and the Hungarians from Romania.
On the first day of the exchange programme DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor made an interactive presentation about the situation of minorities in the EU. The Hungarian politician from Transylvania observed that the EU needed to set an example in the field of minority protection and needed to attend more to the needs of national and immigrant minorities. “Needs and rights of traditional national minorities and immigrants cannot be the same. Traditional national minorities and stateless national minorities need to have language rights at the local level, and need to have the possibility to preserve their culture and national identity. In the meantime, immigrants require assistance in social integration. But there is one thing that all of us must sustain, namely the responsibilities of the member states. No member state can deny the existence of minority communities and they need to tend to their responsibilities in a satisfying manner” – the MEP said.
Csaba Sógor explained that EU institutions strive to provide the conditions for security within the borders of the EU in economic, military, ecological and social matters, but there still is no cultural and ethnic security everywhere in Europe. – The problem is that we do not learn enough about other cultures, even though this is a prerequisite for living together in peace. History should be taught similarly in the entire EU so that we all have the same knowledge and understand the legitimacy of traditional national minorities and immigrants.
DAHR’s politician also observed that not only adequate regulations, but serious mental changes are required, too in order to solve minority issues: “We need to accept that all people are equal regardless of their skin colour or ethnicity”. According to the MEP, this change can be brought about by education.
The event will end with the adoption of a proclamation that will contain the ten major desires of the national minorities and immigrants in the EU. The document will also be sent to the European Parliament.
On the first day of the exchange programme DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor made an interactive presentation about the situation of minorities in the EU. The Hungarian politician from Transylvania observed that the EU needed to set an example in the field of minority protection and needed to attend more to the needs of national and immigrant minorities. “Needs and rights of traditional national minorities and immigrants cannot be the same. Traditional national minorities and stateless national minorities need to have language rights at the local level, and need to have the possibility to preserve their culture and national identity. In the meantime, immigrants require assistance in social integration. But there is one thing that all of us must sustain, namely the responsibilities of the member states. No member state can deny the existence of minority communities and they need to tend to their responsibilities in a satisfying manner” – the MEP said.
Csaba Sógor explained that EU institutions strive to provide the conditions for security within the borders of the EU in economic, military, ecological and social matters, but there still is no cultural and ethnic security everywhere in Europe. – The problem is that we do not learn enough about other cultures, even though this is a prerequisite for living together in peace. History should be taught similarly in the entire EU so that we all have the same knowledge and understand the legitimacy of traditional national minorities and immigrants.
DAHR’s politician also observed that not only adequate regulations, but serious mental changes are required, too in order to solve minority issues: “We need to accept that all people are equal regardless of their skin colour or ethnicity”. According to the MEP, this change can be brought about by education.
The event will end with the adoption of a proclamation that will contain the ten major desires of the national minorities and immigrants in the EU. The document will also be sent to the European Parliament.
