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