The minorities have the right to feel safe

The succes of the Irish refendum – the succes of the european spirit. Who do we have to thank?

The Irish people were promised that the majority will truly consider the wishes of the minority. True democracy lyes not only in the vote of the majority, but also in the consideration of the minority’s wishes. This is needed for the protection of Europe’s minorities.

The other aspect of this succes is that those who support the Lisbon Treaty had a better campaign than last time. The European Union is about saying YES, not a union of NO.

Lastm but not least, the financial crysis had an effect on the vote: remaining outside the Union, Ireland would have had the faith of Iceland.

It is during the time of need that we find out exactly how strong we are, that solidarity is better than denial.

The role of the European Parliament (EP), to quote the president of this house, is „to mediate in arguments, even between states, if needed”. The parliament should also take part in the prevetion of the fire, not just in extinguishing it. It should, for example, adopt regulations regarding the rights of minorities. The minorities have the right to feel safe. Regulations like this help in protecting the minorities from the constraints of governments, extremist attitudes, and situations like the Slovakian State Language Law. It is not acceptable that non-governmental organizations are banned, bilingual inscriptions are destroyed and extremist organizations hold anti-minoritarian, provocative rallies inside the borders of the European Union. The role of the EP is to adopt regulations that protect human rights, reduce and aim to eradicate discrimination and guarantee that the minorities can live as full citizens in their homeland.

Thank you for your attention.