They both spoke during the discussion of a proposal by Union for a Popular Movement MP Muriel Marland-Militello from France about the right of participation in cultural life.
They expressed appreciation of the virtues of the document but noted that it fails to specifically deal with national minorities, yet the UNESCO resolution on promoting cultural diversity states that every culture deserves equal respect and it concretely mentions the cultures of minorities and indigenous people.
?We all know that there are very many problems and many tasks in this area. If there exists discrimination anywhere, these areas are especially affected,? Szabó said.
He noted that many national minorities, including Hungarian minorities, suffer from restrictions on the use of their mother tongue.
?In many countries, there are discriminative laws, such as the state language law of Slovakia,? he added.
Nagy said that legal regulations in Slovakia contrast sharply with the conclusions of the proposal on the agenda of the Council of Europe meeting. In line with the Slovak language law, fines can be imposed if Hungarian minorities in Slovakia wish to use their mother tongue in an effort to keep their cultural roots alive. These potential sanctions undermine the freedom of expression of opinion and severely restrict the right of participation in the community?s cultural life, he added.
The responsibility lies with national governments to ensure that cultural rights can be practiced, Szabó said. He praised the French proposal for presenting concrete proposals to the governments of individual countries and urged closer cooperation between the Council of Europe, the European Union and UNESCO, and the preparation of an action plan.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
