The EP Minority Intergroup adopted a resolution in the Mikó Case
At its meeting in Strasbourg on Thursday the European Parliament’s Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages Intergroup adopted a resolution and showed its solidarity with regard to the case of the Székely Mikó High School and the protests of the Hungarian minority in Romania.
MEPs Gyula Winkler and Csaba Sógor (DAHR, EPP) presented the situation that emerged after the renationalization of the Székely Mikó High School’s building owned by the Reformed Church of Transylvania.
Gyula Winkler presented DAHR’s administrative actions in this field and mentioned that DAHR’s MEPs also wrote a letter to Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. The MEP talked about the violation of the Reformed Church’s rights following the second nationalization of its property in Sfântu Gheorghe and called attention to the court ruling against three persons who merely applied the law in the matter.
DAHR’s MEP also spoke about the process of restitution of the nationalized properties of the Hungarian community in Transylvania and the historical churches: Romania has committed itself to this process since it is part of the Copenhagen Criteria. “The restitution process of the properties belonging to the Hungarian community and the historical churches nationalized by the communist regime is lengthy and cumbersome, and presently seems to have come to a halt. (…) DAHR has committed itself to use any democratic and administrative means necessary, in Brussels and in Bucharest, in order to restart this process and also to find a rightful solution to the situation in Sfântu Gheorghe. We consider the renationalization of the building an attack on the Hungarian community because it creates a dangerous precedent with regard to the respect of property” – stated Gyula Winkler.
DAHR MEP called the first-degree criminal conviction of the three members of the Romanian restitution committee, including former secretary of state Attila Markó outright “kafkaesque”. Gyula Winkler showed that the members of the committee have been sentenced by the court for the application of the provisions of the laws in force at the moment and the restitution of the building of the Székely Mikó High School. This ruling contradicts a 2006 ruling of the same court that reinforces the property rights of the Reformed Church over the building.
DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor talked about the lengthy process of the restitution of properties that belonged to the Transylvanian churches and have been nationalized during the communist regime. The Hungarian MEP from Transylvania showed that only 35 percent of the buildings falling under the provisions of law no. 501/2002 have been restituted during the last 10 years.
Csaba Sógor explained that the ruling in the Mikó case can be considered an attack against the Hungarian community and a clear intent of halting the restitution process since there have already been government level attempts to eliminate the right to in kind restitutions. The legislative proposal was taken off the table at the pressure of DAHR. The Hungarian MEP from Transylvania also presented the foreseeable consequences of the Mikó case: “Not all localities that have restituted buildings are governed by Hungarians. This ruling sets the basis for the same kind of renationalization everywhere. (…) There are several hundred such buildings in the country, many of them housing educational institutions. These are all in danger now, since not only school buildings may be renationalized, but all the other restituted buildings as well.” – said Csaba Sógor.
The members of the EP’s Minority Intergroup agreed upon the fact that Brussels and the European Commission needs to stop using a double standard with regard to the problems of national minorities living in the member states. The MEPs present decided to support DAHR actions to resume and speed up the process of restitution of nationalized properties in Romania.
The members of the intergroup see the Mikó case as worrisome with regard to the rule of law in Romania, especially in the context of recent political events in Bucharest. The subject has been debated on the plenary session of the EP as well.
The Resolution can be accessed here.
Gyula Winkler presented DAHR’s administrative actions in this field and mentioned that DAHR’s MEPs also wrote a letter to Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. The MEP talked about the violation of the Reformed Church’s rights following the second nationalization of its property in Sfântu Gheorghe and called attention to the court ruling against three persons who merely applied the law in the matter.
DAHR’s MEP also spoke about the process of restitution of the nationalized properties of the Hungarian community in Transylvania and the historical churches: Romania has committed itself to this process since it is part of the Copenhagen Criteria. “The restitution process of the properties belonging to the Hungarian community and the historical churches nationalized by the communist regime is lengthy and cumbersome, and presently seems to have come to a halt. (…) DAHR has committed itself to use any democratic and administrative means necessary, in Brussels and in Bucharest, in order to restart this process and also to find a rightful solution to the situation in Sfântu Gheorghe. We consider the renationalization of the building an attack on the Hungarian community because it creates a dangerous precedent with regard to the respect of property” – stated Gyula Winkler.
DAHR MEP called the first-degree criminal conviction of the three members of the Romanian restitution committee, including former secretary of state Attila Markó outright “kafkaesque”. Gyula Winkler showed that the members of the committee have been sentenced by the court for the application of the provisions of the laws in force at the moment and the restitution of the building of the Székely Mikó High School. This ruling contradicts a 2006 ruling of the same court that reinforces the property rights of the Reformed Church over the building.
DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor talked about the lengthy process of the restitution of properties that belonged to the Transylvanian churches and have been nationalized during the communist regime. The Hungarian MEP from Transylvania showed that only 35 percent of the buildings falling under the provisions of law no. 501/2002 have been restituted during the last 10 years.
Csaba Sógor explained that the ruling in the Mikó case can be considered an attack against the Hungarian community and a clear intent of halting the restitution process since there have already been government level attempts to eliminate the right to in kind restitutions. The legislative proposal was taken off the table at the pressure of DAHR. The Hungarian MEP from Transylvania also presented the foreseeable consequences of the Mikó case: “Not all localities that have restituted buildings are governed by Hungarians. This ruling sets the basis for the same kind of renationalization everywhere. (…) There are several hundred such buildings in the country, many of them housing educational institutions. These are all in danger now, since not only school buildings may be renationalized, but all the other restituted buildings as well.” – said Csaba Sógor.
The members of the EP’s Minority Intergroup agreed upon the fact that Brussels and the European Commission needs to stop using a double standard with regard to the problems of national minorities living in the member states. The MEPs present decided to support DAHR actions to resume and speed up the process of restitution of nationalized properties in Romania.
The members of the intergroup see the Mikó case as worrisome with regard to the rule of law in Romania, especially in the context of recent political events in Bucharest. The subject has been debated on the plenary session of the EP as well.
The Resolution can be accessed here.
