10 February 1995

Doc. 7249

WRITTEN DECLARATION No. 236 on respect of national minorities' rights in Romania

      The undersigned, members of the Assembly, and members of the Group of the European People's Party in the Council of Europe,

      are alarmed by recent statements made by the Government of Romania and the parties that form it which asked to declare unconstitutional the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, the democratically elected representatives of the Hungarian minority in Romania. The immediate cause which prompted that plan was the establishment of a consultative body composed of representatives of the Hungarians who were elected into local councils. Associations like that are in full harmony with the Charter on Regional and Local Government of the Council of Europe and with Assembly Recommendation 1201.

      This plan of outlawing a civil association is especially worrying in view of the fact that so far the Romanian government has fulfilled only a fraction of the obligations assumed by itself and the Assembly recommendations which it pledged to carry out when Romania was admitted as full member into the Council of Europe.

      Bearing in mind the above, the Group of the European People's Party deems it necessary to continue to monitor developments in Romania. At the same time we express our hope that the Romanian authorities will refrain from any step that might lead to the increasing of tensions between the majority nation and the national minorities and we hope that positive measures will be introduced in Romania as soon as possible, in order to fulfil the stipulations of Recommendation 1201, including passing laws that would codify the rights of the national minorities and would implement them in practice. The steps we propose represent an important condition for the preservation and strengthening of stability in Europe.

Signed:

Fischer, Germany, EPP

Briane, France, EPP

Kelchtermans, Belgium, EPP

Ghesquière, Belgium, EPP

Lentz-Cornette, Luxembourg, EPP

Theis, Luxembourg, EPP

Gabrielescu, Romania, EPP

Grzeskowiak, Poland, EPP

Borg, Malta, EPP

Deguara, Malta, EPP

Leitner, Hungary, EPP

Ramirez Pery, Spain, EPP

Vella, Malta, EPP

Weyts, Belgium, EPP

Mimaroglu, Turkey, EPP

Robles Fraga, Spain, EPP

Mitchell, Ireland, EPP

Lopez Henares, Spain, EPP

Seitlinger, France, EPP

Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, EPP

Birraux, France, EPP

Suchocka, Poland, EPP

Mautner-Markhof, Austria, EPP

Büchel, Liechtenstein, EPP

van der Linden, Netherlands, EPP

Probst, Germany, EPP

Koschyk, Germany, EPP

Bobelis, Lithuania, EPP

Eversdijk, Netherlands, EPP

Pastuszka, Poland, EPP

Parisi, Italy, EPP

Leers, Netherlands, EPP

Pavlidis, Greece, EPP

A. Moser, Bulgaria, EPP

Frunda, Romania, EPP

Gotzev, Bulgaria, EPP

Bartodziej, Poland, EPP

Bühler, Germany, EPP

Total = 38

* EPP = Group of the European People's Party