Csaba Sógor: A state’s minority policy is exemplary only if the minorities in question see it as such
The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages should take into consideration the views of the minority organisations of member states to the largest extent possible. According to Csaba Sógor, this is the only way the Charter can be successfully implemented, and the only way the Committee can give a true assessment of the practical application of minority language rights in a given country.
The RMDSZ MEP stated the above during the May 12th Strasbourg meeting of the European Parliament’s Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages. The Head of the Secretariat of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Mr. Sixto Molina was also present at the meeting.
Sógor pointed out that, just the day before, in Bucharest a delegation of the Hungarian minority in Romania briefed the experts of the European Council on the implementation of the Charter in the country. The MEP stressed that there was a regression in the implementation process of linguistic rights for minorities in Romania. "During the assessment of the Charter’s implementation the views of the organisations representing the national minorities living in the Member State in question should be fully taken into account, as they are often dramatically different from the position of the government", said Csaba Sógor. Moreover, he expressed his view to the head of secretariat that the principle to follow during the monitoring should be that a state’s minority policy is exemplary only if the minorities in question see it as such.
The RMDSZ MEP called upon the head of secretariat of the Charter to make sure that every member of the monitoring committee is an independent expert, who consults not only the authorities of a member state, but also the organisations that represent minority communities.
