MEP’s call for the protection of national and ethnic minorities
The plenary of the European Parliament adopted a new report, which emphasizes the protection of national and ethnic minorities. MEP’s call on the European Commission and the Member States, to address more efficiently the issue of protecting minorities. According to Csaba Sógor, national minorities have been expecting such a report for many years.
“The European Parliament has never stood up as strongly as it does now for the protection of minority communities. I am delighted, that I could participate in the elaboration of this report, adding a number of amendments to the draft of a comprehensive report that deals extensively with the rights of national and ethnic minorities and draws attention to the necessary steps that must be taken in the future” - explained the Transylvanian MEP.
The document states: it is important to address this issue, since about 8% of EU citizens belong to a national minority and around 10% speak regional or minority languages - that is about 40-50 million citizens. It demonstrates the Member States the fact that the protection of people belonging to minorities contributes to a sustainable future in Europe. This beneficial effect is not only limited to minorities, as the support provides stability and security, economic development and prosperity for all. The adopted report also states that it is necessary to monitor the compliance of the Member States with the Copenhagen criteria accepted before accession.
Due to Csaba Sógor’s amendments, the EP report also makes reference to the Minority Safepack Minority Protection Initiative. The document emphasizes: in the framework of the European Citizens’ Initiative 1 215 879 signatures have been collected, which reflect the will and the need of EU citizens to strengthen the legislative framework for minority policies on the EU level.
According to Csaba Sógor, this document was able to find supporters in the EP, because the minority issue was kept on the agenda during the last few years. The RMDSZ politician believes: citizens of the 50 million national or linguistic minorities - including the Hungarian people in Romania - have been waiting for such a report for many years. This calls on the European Commission to establish a regulatory framework valid throughout the EU, in order to protect minority communities among others.
