Language Research

The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities signed on February 1, 1995, ratified on September 25, 1995 and enacted on February 1, 1998.

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages signed on November 5, 1992, ratified on April 26, 1995 and enacted on March 1, 1998.

Updated (June 2004)

HUNGARY FILES THE NATIONAL MINORITIES CONVENTION REPORT

At the beginning of May Hungary submitted its second state report on the implementation of the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM). In the report, the state points out that after the political and economic changes in 1990s, and in an effort to meet the Copenhagen criteria to join the EU, Hungary has established internal legal and institutional frameworks for the protection of minorities.

According to the report, these rules imply a wider scope of authority and autonomy for the minorities than the Framework Convention itself. Nevertheless, the first monitoring period showed that implementation of the minority protection is more necessary than establishing of legal conditions.

The 1993 Hungarian Act on the Rights of the National and Ethnic Minorities lists thirteen minorities living in Hungary: Romany, Germans, Slovaks, Slovenians, Romanians, Serbians, Croatians, Ukrainians, Rusyns (or Ruthenians), Armenians, Poles, Greeks and Bulgarians.

The Act on Self-governments gives national and ethnic minorities the opportunity to establish minority self-governments on local and national level. Currently over 1,000 local and 13 national self-governments exist, which guarantee educational and cultural autonomy. Since 1999 minorities have been represented on the national level and their main function has been to monitor minority education.

The report states that the current system of national minority self-governments has proven to be fruitful in terms of minority protection and promotion. Furthermore, according to the state, the other Hungarian legal instruments, such as the Minority Act, the Public Education Act or the Equal Opportunities Act, ensure the legal and administrative basis for minority protection.

Criticism, however, has been raised in the domain of the media. Although all minorities have television programs on the national Hungarian Television, the usual broadcasting time is one hour in the afternoon. Furthermore, minority programming has been cancelled on national and religious holidays.

Hungary is also considering the establishment of a European Center for National and Ethnic Minorities seated in Budapest.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, May 26, 2004, by Simone Klinge, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4588

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