Parliamentary debate of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages was postponed. Ethnic Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights, Minorities and Regional Development Pál Csáky requested the move on account of certain attached explanatory text. “The parliament decided that when it resumes on January 10 the first item on its agenda will be ratification of the charter. There are no political problems regarding the issue,” said Csáky. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony), Dec. 21, 2000]

The Slovak government adopted the Hungarian Coalition Party’s proposal to prepare bilingual census questionnaires for the May-June 2001 national census in accordance with the Minority Language Law of 1999. Consequently, Slovak-Hungarian, Slovak-Ruthenian and Slovak-Ukrainian forms will be produced in addition to Slovak-only ones. Moreover, the explanatory notes will also be available in all the languages of Slovakia’s 11 national minorities. Ethnic Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights, Minorities and Regional Development Pál Csáky called on the mayors of localities with ethnically mixed populations to appoint census-takers who speak the given minority language(s) as well. Romany activists, however, criticized the lack of a Romany-language census questionnaire in a letter to Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. Vincent Danihel, Special Government Commissioner for Roma Issues, said that the government had originally considered a Romany-language version as well. [MTI-Hungarian Telegraph Agency (Budapest), Dec. 20, 2000; OMRI Slovak Daily Digest (Prague), Jan. 4, 2001]

Agreement was reached between the Greek Catholic and Orthodox Churches in a long-standing dispute over property restitution. Mediated by Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights, Minorities and Regional Development Pál Csáky, the government will appropriate 55.9 million Slovak Korunas (approximately $3.75 million) as compensation for properties confiscated from the Greek Catholic Church (which was banned under communism) and transferred to the Orthodox church. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to cease all legal action against each other. [OMRI Slovak Daily Digest (Prague), Dec. 21, 2001]

The Hungarian Coalition Party’s (HCP) popularity is at its peak – 12.5 percent – since its 1998 inception, showed a poll conducted by the Slovak Statistical Office. While this is only 3 fractions of a percentage point behind the party of Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, the Slovak Christian Democratic Union, the poll showed the extremist Slovak National Party (SNS) to be backed by 10 percent of the population. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony), Dec. 19, 2000]

In November, the Ministry of Education opened up to public discussion a new concept for taking high school final examinations. According to the plan, students would take exams in five subjects, including Slovak language and literature, a foreign language (and mathematics in some cases) as compulsory subjects. There are three possibilities regarding native-language study in high schools where instruction occurs in a minority language: (a) to make the native language one of the core, compulsory five subjects; (b) to add the native language as an additional, sixth compulsory subject, or (c) to make the native language an elective. The Alliance of Hungarian Teachers in Slovakia supports option (a) since adding a sixth subject would overtax students, and Hungarian has always been a mandatory subject in Hungarian-language high schools. The Alliance’s Vice Chairman Attila Fodor told Új Szó that three mandatory subjects – Hungarian language and literature, Slovak language and literature and one foreign language – and two electives would meet the needs of ethnic Hungarian students. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony), Dec. 19, 2000]

Police launched an investigation against Agnes Burdová publisher of the Slovak-language translation of Hitler’s Mein Kampf [see report of December 14, 2000]. If convicted, Burdova could face 3-8 years imprisonment for promoting movements suppressing civil rights and fundamental freedoms. [OMRI Slovak Daily Digest (Prague), Dec. 20, 2000]

Ethnic Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights, Minorities and Regional Development Pál Csáky concurred with Premier Mikulas Dzurinda that issues related to public administration reform must be solved by the end of January. Slovakia cannot neglect implementing reforms if it is serious about joining the European Union, pointed out Csáky. The reforms are also closely connected to amending the constitution. The Hungarian Coalition Party (HCP) will only support amending the constitution if three conditions are met: (a) adopting the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; (b) transferring title of unclaimed lands belonging to state but located near villages to the localities concerned; and (c) establishment of a Hungarian-language division in Konstantin University in Nitra/Nyitra to ensure adequate training of ethnic Hungarian teachers. While HCP is open to negotiation regarding the first two issues, it cannot make any concessions on the issue of teacher training as “this was formerly promised by Prime Minister Dzurinda to be discussed on December 20,”said Pál Csáky. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony), Dec. 14, 2000]

The first Slovak-language translation of Hitler’s Mein Kampf went on sale in Slovakia. The work is accompanied by a 30-page commentary from the translator, Roman Vyskocil, who is also a psychologist and emphasized the work’s racist, anti-Semitic and violent nature. 5,000 copies of the book were printed and strongly criticized by the country’s Jewish community and Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights, Minorities and Regional Development Pál Csáky. [OMRI Slovak Daily Digest (Prague), Dec. 15, 2000]

In its protest against Slovakia’s ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Slovak National Party (SNS) resorted to rousing fears of unfounded ethnic Hungarian aspirations for “linguistic and territorial autonomy.” According to SNS President Anna Malíková, ratification would result in two categories of languages: Hungarian and other minority languages. By signing the document the government would relinquish the interests of the Slovak nation-state, stated Malíková. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony), Dec. 11, 2000]

One of the main topics under debate in the Slovak Parliament is whether or not to sign the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The government member Hungarian Coalition Party (HCP) has tied its support for amending the constitution to a favorable resolution of this issue. The other members of the governing coalition are reluctant to agree to Article 10 of the Charter, which addresses minority-language use among administrative authorities and in public services, because officials maybe required to use Hungarian in certain situations. Slovakia is the only country in the region with a significant number of ethnic Hungarians that has not yet signed the document. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony), Dec. 7, 2000; MTI-Hungarian Telegraph Agency (Budapest), Dec. 7, 2000]