Hungary offers to support FUEN

In a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Zsolt Semjén, FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen and the Hungarian FUEN Vice President from Romania Lórant Vincze, the Hungarian government offered to support the umbrella organisation of the European minorities as a partner.

This FUEN this is a pleasant result, said Hans Heinrich Hansen.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary Zsolt Semjén FUEN is important for three reasons: first of all FUEN shows that successful minority policy does exist in Europe; secondly the existence of FUEN proves that minorities are no extremists.

FUEN has a clearly defined profile. Its members are the national, autochthonous minorities and there is every reason for the traditional minorities, who have been living in their home countries for centuries, to maintain their vested rights. The rights of minorities, said Zsolt Semjén, must be universally accepted in Europe and not just be Hungarian demands.

That is the reason why the Hungarian government is willing to actively support FUEN.

Hans Heinrich Hansen underlined that FUEN is a democratic organisation and that this democratic structure has been the guarantee for the survival of FUEN. He thanked Hungary for the commitment to support FUEN as a partner and stressed that the Hungarian government also supports FUEN in the case of the European Citizens Initiative Minority SafePack Initiative (MSPI) and claims the legitimate rights of the minorities in the EU. With the Minority SafePack Initiative MSPI the rights of minorities in Europe shall be guaranteed and the competences of Europe in relation to minorities shall be laid down.

Lórant Vincze stressed the importance of the lobby for the minorities in the European capital of Brussels. This is indispensable for being heard on the European level, he said.

Furthermore Hansen and Vincze had a meeting in Budapest with Zsolt Nemeth, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament. Here too, the commitment of FUEN to be the voice of the minorities in Europe was very much appreciated. Also the senior representatives of the Hungarian Parliament are willing to support FUEN and its objectives. 

In the next time further meetings will take place about the proposed support by Hungary.