The European Parliament takes a stand for the protection of national minorities
On the European Parliament’s plenary session of 27 February MEPs adopted
a report on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU, which also
aims the improvement of national minority protection.
According to MEP Csaba Sógor, the adoption of the
report represents milestone in the history of the EU because, on the one
hand, the European Commission is requested to develop a normative
minority protection framework and, on the other hand, member states are
required to take effective measures to promote equality between
citizens.
The Belgian MEP, Louis Michel’s report entitled Fundamental Rights in the European Union was debated on 26 March and adopted the next day. The report recognizes that members of national minority communities face challenges in their everyday lives and that member states often treat them as second class citizens.
„At last, this report tackles the issue I’ve insisted on during my whole tenure in the European Parliament, the fact that in the field of national minorities, regional linguistic groups and autonomous regions there is a need for a comprehensive EU-level protection system”, declared Csaba Sógor during the debate. The RMDSZ politician highlighted that members of the Hungarian community from Romania know too well already that the protection of national minorities can only be ensured through concrete and effective legal, linguistic, cultural and social measures.
According to Sógor, the number of members of autochthonous, traditional and linguistic minority communities is above 10% of the EU’’s total population. „In case the Commission develops a normative framework we can finally leave behind us the situation in which candidate states can be held accountable for not respecting minority rights, but member states cannot ”, declared the MEP.
Additionally he also pointed out that through the adoption of this report the European Parliament effectively does what the Treaties had set out for it, that is, representing the interests of European citizens and sending a strong signal to those who, until now felt that the European Union is not capable to provide an answer to their problems.
The Belgian MEP, Louis Michel’s report entitled Fundamental Rights in the European Union was debated on 26 March and adopted the next day. The report recognizes that members of national minority communities face challenges in their everyday lives and that member states often treat them as second class citizens.
„At last, this report tackles the issue I’ve insisted on during my whole tenure in the European Parliament, the fact that in the field of national minorities, regional linguistic groups and autonomous regions there is a need for a comprehensive EU-level protection system”, declared Csaba Sógor during the debate. The RMDSZ politician highlighted that members of the Hungarian community from Romania know too well already that the protection of national minorities can only be ensured through concrete and effective legal, linguistic, cultural and social measures.
According to Sógor, the number of members of autochthonous, traditional and linguistic minority communities is above 10% of the EU’’s total population. „In case the Commission develops a normative framework we can finally leave behind us the situation in which candidate states can be held accountable for not respecting minority rights, but member states cannot ”, declared the MEP.
Additionally he also pointed out that through the adoption of this report the European Parliament effectively does what the Treaties had set out for it, that is, representing the interests of European citizens and sending a strong signal to those who, until now felt that the European Union is not capable to provide an answer to their problems.
