Doc. 9153
28 June 2001
Law regarding the Hungarians living in neighbouring countries, adopted on 19 June 2001 by the Hungarian Parliament
Motion for a resolution
presented by Mr Prisăcaru and others
This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it |
1. On 19 June 2001, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a law on the “ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring countries” which stipulates, among other things, that an identity card will be provided to them on an exclusively ethnic basis. The law is to be applied to Hungarians living in Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Austria has rejected the application of this law on its territory.
2. The law establishes the principle of discrimination between the Hungarian minority living in the respective countries and the majority population as well as the extra-territoriality principle for its implementation, which may generate new tensions between these populations and favour regional instability.
3. If applied, the law adopted by the Hungarian Parliament may result in the deterioration of the relationship of co-operation between the neighbouring Council of Europe member states on their way to European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
4. Moreover, this law is incompatible with Protocol 12 to the European Convention of Human Rights, Article 21 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and Article 13 of the European Union Treaty.
5. As a consequence, the Assembly calls on the Hungarian authorities to suspend the implementation of the law adopted on 19 June and invites the neighbouring countries to co-operate, according to political bilateral treaties and conventions, in order to put into practice the existing European conventions and documents regarding human rights and national minorities.
Signed : 1
Alís Font, Andorra, SOC
Angelovicová, Slovakia, SOC
Belohorská, Slovakia, EDG
Berceanu, Romania, SOC
Brînzan, Romania, SOC
Chapman, United Kingdom, EDG
Clinton-Davis, United Kingdom, SOC
Coifan, Romania, LDR
Cosarciuc, Moldova, LDR
Cox, United Kingdom, SOC
Cubreacov, Moldova, EPP/CD
Dreyfus-Schmidt, France, SOC
Eversdijk, Netherlands, EPP/CD
Evin, France, SOC
Gjellerod, Denmark, SOC
Gligoroski, « the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia », EPP/CD
Ilaşcu, Romania, EDG
Judd, United Kingdom, SOC
Jung, France, SOC
Keltošová, Slovakia, EDG
Kresák, Slovakia, LDR
Lauricella, Italy, SOC
Lemoine, France, SOC
Martelli, Italy, EPP/CD
Neguta, Moldova, UEL
Olteanu, Romania, SOC
Ošváth, Slovakia, LDR
Patereu, Moldova, EPP/CD
Popa, Romania, SOC
Popescu, Ukraine, SOC
Prisăcaru, Romania, SOC
De Puig, Spain, SOC
Robol, Italy, EPP/CD
Schreiner, France, EDG
Švec, Slovakia, LDR
Tkác, Slovakia, EDG
Tudor, Romania, EDG
1 SOC: Socialist Group
EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
EDG: European Democratic Group
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
NR: not registered in a group