A horvátországi Fiumeben tartotta ülését a FUEN Magyar Közösségek Munkacsoportja

"Hungarians living abroad know about each other, but most often they only learn about each other's situation through the media, so the meetings of the Working Group of Hungarian Communities in FUEN (MKM) are a great opportunity to discuss face to face the issues that most concern the Hungarian communities," said László Brenzovics, speaker of the MKM, on Friday, April 25, in Rijeka, Croatia. The meeting of the working group, which was attended by representatives of all Hungarian organizations abroad and FUEN President Loránt Vincze, was hosted by the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Croatia (HMDK) at the Anna Villa.

"The situation in Ukraine is tragic. The country has lost about half of its population, many, many people have died in the war, and half of its budget consists of foreign loans and donations. Ethnic relations have changed in Transcarpathia, and the number of Hungarians has decreased – about 300,000 people have left Transcarpathia, but a significant number of Russian-speaking people have moved here from the large cities of Ukraine. The population of Uzhhorod, for example, has doubled in the last two years," said the speaker of the working group, president of the Cultural Association of Hungarians in Sub-Carpathia (KMKSZ). Brenzovics spoke about the importance of establishing peace as soon as possible and stated that Hungary's demand to restore the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia to their pre-2017 level is justified.

Vincze Loránt, Member of the European Parliament and President of FUEN, presented the work of the European umbrella organization for the protection of minorities, reported on the reestablishment of the European Parliament's Minority Intergroup, and thanked the Hungarian state for its continued support. He drew attention to the spread of hate speech and the physical assaults associated with it. "In Bratislava, a young Hungarian speaker was attacked with a knife, and in Cluj-Napoca, Hungarian youths were assaulted by soccer fans. While every country claims that these problems are long gone and that such things can no longer happen, similar incidents strike like a thunderbolt from the blue sky. Given their apparent ethnic motivation, these cannot be considered isolated incidents, as they are manifestations of the mood of public discourse and hatred within society. Unfortunately, the authorities are not doing their job properly and deny that ethnically motivated crimes have been committed," the president emphasized.

The participants of the meeting defined the priorities and work plan of the working group for the next period. The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) was represented by Anna Horváth, executive vice president; the Hungarian Alliance of Slovakia by Péter Őry, member of the presidium and mayor of Csallóközcsütörtök; the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ) by Elvira Kovács, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; Róbert Jankovics, president, and János Andócsi, vice president, representing the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Croatia (HMDK); Orban Dusan, president of the Hungarian Self-Governing National Community of Pomurje (MMÖNK); and József Kulcsár-Terza, president of the Hungarian Civic Force (MPE), reported on the situation of the communities. The meeting was also attended by Réka Brendus, Head of Department at the State Secretariat for National Policy of Hungary, Áron Léphaft, Deputy Head of the Office of the Hungarian National Assembly, and Éva Pénzes, Secretary General of FUEN.