May 20, 1999

Beginning September 1, a 24-hour bilingual commercial radio station, owned by exclusively ethnic Hungarian investors, will begin broadcasting in Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely.Called Radio Ga Ga, this fourth radio station in the city will afford equal broadcasting time to Hungarian and Rumanian-language programs, providing public service announcements as well. [Népszabadság (Budapest), May 20, 1999]

May 19, 1999

The Cluj/Kolozs County School Board will advertise an intendent position to address the special concerns of Roma students in the county, said Ferenc Török, Deputy School Superintendent. Preference will be given to applicants of Roma background and must be qualified teachers. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 19, 1999]

May 18, 1999

The Senate adopted the Article 51 of the Bill on Public Administration by 85 to 24 with 1 abstention requiring that in communities 20 percent or more minority inhabited, city council resolutions be promulgated in the given minority-languages as well. According to the Rumanian-language daily, Adevarul, voting has to be repeated on May 25 due to accusations by the opposition of foul play, such as voting by absent senators. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 19, 1999 and DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), May 19, 1999]

The extremist Rumanian National Unity Party filed charges with the Attorney General against five Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) representatives — László Tõkés, Elõd Kincses, Ádám Katona, Károly Király and Tibor T. Toró — for alleged constitutional violations during the May 15-16 DAHR Congress in Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 20, 1999]

In a letter to Archbishop of Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár György Jakubinyi, Pope John Paul expressed his respect for the bishopric and its courageous and exemplary position during Communism, hoping that he will be able to visit Transylvania, home to Rumania's 1 million Roman Catholics and 1.3 million Greek Catholics, in the future. The letter came in response to weeks of objections by Catholics in Rumania [see report of March 16] to the Pope confining his May 7-9 historic visit — the first to a predominantly Orthodox country — only to Bucharest. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 18, 1999]

Nursery school No 30 in the center of Cluj/Kolozsvár, a traditionally Hungarian-language institution currently providing education for 40 ethnic Hungarian children, is under increased pressure by the Roman Catholic church to pay a monthly rent of 2.5 million Lei monthly or be displaced. The nursery school's ethnic Hungarian principal, Maria Krizbay said that when the building' ownership reverted to the church last January, it drastically increased the rent, which was previously 150,000 Lei. László Gulyás, legal advisor to the Saint Michael's Roman Catholic church told Szabadság that the state used to calculate a minimum figure for rent which was no longer tenable with the growing costs of maintenance. The future of the nursery school is undecided. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 18, 1999]

May 16, 1999

At its 6th Congress in Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) delegates re-elected incumbent President Béla Markó, who has held the office since 1993, by 274 to 157 votes. The Congress voted for the continuation of reforms and adopted a statement realizing that after two and a half years of government participation, effective and long-term legal guarantees are still lacking to secure the survival of the Hungarian minority. The Congress also endorsed a resolution recognizing that the Csángó Hungarians are part of Rumania's 2.5 million-strong ethnic Hungarian community and called for closer cooperation with the Alliance of the Csángó Hungarians in Moldova, declaring support for their rights to native-language education and worship. [DAHR Bulletin (Bucharest), May 17 and 19, 1999]

May 14, 1999

The appendix to the recently issued government decree on returning 36 church and communally-owned Hungarian, German, Jewish, Greek, Serbian, Slovak and Ukrainian properties nationalized in 1940 was released [see report of May 6]. Director of the Office for the Protection of National Minorities István Bartunek disclosed that the following Hungarian-related properties will be returned to their rightful owners: three buildings of the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár, two buildings each belonging to the Roman Catholic bishoprics in Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti, Oradea/Nagyvárad and Timisoara/Temesvár, two buildings each of the two Hungarian Reformed Church bishoprics, one building each to the Lutheran and Unitarian churches. The decree stipulates that an implementation committee consisting of members from the Office for the Protection of National Minorities , the Ministry of Justice and organizations representing the interests of the affected national minorities be established. The committee will review modes of transferring legal titles and other practical matters and will also have authority to examine new requests making recommendations to the government. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 14, 1999]

Three Cluj/Kolozsvár Hungarian-language nursery classes will be eliminated beginning the 99/00 school year, reported Cluj/Kolozs County District Superintendent for Nursery Schools, Jolán Constanda. Decline in the number of enrolled children is the basis for the decision which Constanda attributes to a combination of three factors: decreasing birthrates, parental failure to enroll children in nursery schools due to cost and enrollment in Rumanian-language classes instead. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 14, 1999]

The new theater in Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda had its first performance, reported director Ferenc Szederjesi. Plans to establish an ensemble began a year ago with renovation of the city's cultural center ongoing for the past three months. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), May 13, 1999]

May 13, 1999

With the resignation of Liberal Senator Emil Tocaci, the government coalition has a majority of one — 73 to72 — in the Senate, making the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR)'s support even more vital, concludes Senator György Frunda in a Szabadság interview. Frunda also comments on the bill put forth in the legal committee by Senator Ticu Dumitrescu on access to former Securitate files. According to the DAHR senator, currently, the bill falls far from the original concept which aims to "morally cleanse" Rumanian society. In fact, the Chamber of Deputies has adopted provisions that promote the opposite effect by shielding former informers and collaborators who can then cast suspicion on those who did not work together with the Securitate. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 13, 1999]

May 12, 1999

The parliamentary conference committee on Government Decree 36/1997 amending the education law continued its work. Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) Representative and Deputy Chairman of the education committee in the Chamber of Deputies Ferenc Asztalos reported that the body adopted provisions governing examinations in the eighth and ninth grades. Accordingly, students will take exams in Rumanian language and literature and, in the given minority language and literature for those studying in their native language, mathematics, and either Rumanian geography or history. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 13, 1999]

The Iliescu-led Rumanian Social Democracy Party appealed the Cluj/Kolozsvár Court's April 22 decision to incorporate the Pro Transilvania Foundation, an organization advocating greater autonomy for the region and headed by Sabin Gherman Along with the Greater Rumania and Rumanian National Unity Parties, the three had brought charges of treason and endangering Rumania’s national security against Gherman, dropped April 9 by the prosecutor [see reports of April 9 and February 24]. Iliescu stated that his party continues to believe the organization's activities are unconstitutional and also thinks that the court should have solicited the Minister of Justice's opinion on incorporation in addition to Minister for Minorities Péter Eckstein-Kovács's. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 12, 1999]

May 11, 1999

The Senate adopted Article 90 of the Bill on Local Public Administration and Autonomy according to which "in communities where minorities make up 20 or more percent of the population, citizens belonging to said minorities can both orally and in writing address and receive answers from the administration in their native-language. Civil servants who know the minority languages of the given community have to be among those employed having direct contact with the public. In those communities where minorities make up at least 20 percent of the population, the names of localities and institutions have to be written out officially in the minority language." On April 21 the Chamber of Deputies rejected such a motion [see report of April 21]. Debate on the provision allowing local councils to also promulgate their resolutions in minority languages has been deferred to next week. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 12, 1999]

Edit Emôke Lokodi was approved by the Senate's legal committee to fill the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) position on the government audit board following Miklós Segesvári's sudden death last month. [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), May 12, 1999]

May 10, 1999

The Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti Hungarian-language daily Friss Újság reported that shortly after its publication, the Radical Publishing House’s 1998 sixth grade mathematics textbook in Hungarian was recalled. The book, among others, had been disapproved by the Native Language Protection Association [see report of February 11]. [Friss Újság (Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti), May 10, 1999]

May 9, 1999

In a historic first visit to a predominately orthodox Christian country, Pope John Paul II also met privately with Roman Catholic bishops in the Vatican's embassy. Despite impassioned appeals by his bishops to visit Transylvania, the home of Rumania's 1 million Roman Catholics and 1.3 million Greek Catholics, the Pope confined his visit to Bucharest. "The end of persecution has given back freedom, but the problem of churches still awaits a definitive solution," said His Excellency to the Patriarchy, alluding to failure to return Greek and Roman Catholic properties confiscated under communism. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár) and the New York Times, May 10, 1999]

May 7, 1999

The Rumanian Senate began debate of the Bill on Small and Medium-Sized Businesses following the Chamber of Deputies adoption of such legislation [see reports of February 12 and 16 and March 15]. The bill, which if adopted would go into force during the second half of the year, would lend support to enterprises employing less than 250 people and are majority privately owned. Certain provisions of the bill are expected to provoke debate, namely, granting incentives otherwise eliminated by the Law on the Budget such as import duty exemption and refund of VAT [sales taxes]. The bill seeks to encourage domestic production and excludes banks, investment funds, real estate agencies and foreign trade enterprises. [Népújság (Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely), May 7, 1999]

May 6, 1999

The cabinet adopted a decree to return to their rightful owners 36 minority, among them 15 Hungarian-related, communal properties. Head of the Office for the Protection of National Minorities' legal department Attila Markó, not naming specifics, said that a full list will be published in the Official Monitor. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 8, 1999]

In an interview with the Hungarian-language daily Friss Újság, chief librarian of the Satumare/Szatmár County Library Gheorghe Todu expressed dismay at the low number of registered ethnic Hungarians at the institution. In this 45 percent Hungarian-inhabited county, their numbers are 25 percent, and the percentage of Hungarian-language books and journals borrowed in 1998 were merely four. Todu attributes the numbers to several factors: presumably well-stacked school libraries and family collections though Todu concedes that the collection of Hungarian-language publications in the county's public libraries is slim. Moreover, the library has received no catalogues from Hungarian-language publishers in the past two years. While most of the libraries' staff knows Hungarian, there is still a need for librarians who know Hungarian well and unfortunately no such candidates applied for jobs posted, concludes Todu. In fact, in an effort to fill the void, a class for Hungarian-speaking librarians started last year at the Department of History of the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj/Kolozsvár, notes the paper's editor. [Friss Újság (Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti), May 6, 1999]

May 5, 1999

The parliamentary conference committee on the creation of native-language institutions at the higher education level continued its work. At Rumanian Social Democracy Party member Ecaterina Andreescu's suggestion, debate of articles relating to minority-language education were left to the end of the meeting and subsequently postponed, including Article 8. In the Senate version, this clause obligates students to learn the Rumanian language while the Chamber of Deputies' version obligates students to master the official language (opponents to the lower house's version argue that proficiency is not a matter that can be regulated by law). [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 6, 1999]

The Minorities Department of the Education Ministry will hold a one-a-half day conference in Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti to assess the state of education in minority languages. Education State Secretary József Kötô will chair the meeting that will include school superintendents from around Transylvania. Among the areas to be discussed are curriculum for grades 5-8, organization of school activities, distribution of textbooks, enrollment in lyceums, vocational and post-high school institutions. A separate item on the agenda will be discussion of the ministry's Decree No. 3583 of May 4, 1999 regulating the operation of schools at the elementary and secondary levels. [Friss Újság (Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti), May 5, 1999]

Head of Rumanian Television's Regional Studios' Department Armanca Brandusa held a meeting with parliamentarians representing the Banat/Bánság region to discuss granting the Timisoara/Temesvár local studio its own frequency. In line with European tendencies towards regionalism, the station's programs would target local audiences in the southwestern part of the country. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), May 5, 1999]

May 4, 1999

Government coalition leaders met to discuss strategies for parliamentary adoption of amendments to the education and public administration laws as well as motions to the civil servant bill. Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) President Béla Markó expressed hope that the coalition partners would abide by the just-signed protocol but, of course, voting in the Parliament would be the deciding factor. As regards legislation on native-language education, Markó expounded that principles need to be laid down in the education law allowing the establishment of native-language groups, sections and department at the higher education level since the coalition will seek to have a separate law on establishing such a native-language institution adopted by Parliament. President of the National Liberal Party Mircea Ionescu-Quintus said that agreement was reached to press for provision requiring that in communities where the proportion of minority inhabitants exceeds 20 percent, at least one civil servant speak the given minority's language, a compromise from DAHR's original motion [see report of April 21]. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 5, 1999]

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe unanimously adopted Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania Senator György Frunda’s proposal on secret service activities [see report of March 1] and will establish a separate committee to monitor each member country's compliance. Accordingly, it will be illegal for secret service agencies to conduct punitive activities against certain elements of their societies such as ethnic minorities or religious denominations. Responding to the negative reaction of colleagues from his own delegation in Strasbourg, Frunda pointed out their duplicity to the Hungarian-language daily Friss Újság: while all members of the Rumanian delegation voted for the resolution, "at home they play the big patriots." Expounding on the text further Frunda stated that the document consists of three sections. The first part establishes the structure and operation of secret services, prohibiting the pursuit of commercial or economic endeavors (as is the case in Rumania) and their use against national minorities, religious groups and the political opposition. Adrian Nastase and Ovidiu Sincai, the Iliescu-led Rumanian Social Democracy Party representatives at the Strasbourg meeting, advocated removal of this clause. Secondly, the resolution establishes that the sphere of authority of secret services is to be regulated by the judicial system including disclosure of surveillance in cases of subsequent acquittal. The third section addresses democratic oversight of secret service operations. Frunda called the move an absolute positive step for the Hungarian community in Rumania who — he reminded — was specially targeted by the Rumanian Intelligence agency up until 1997 when that separate department was eliminated. [Friss Újság (Satu Mare/Szatmárnémeti), May 4, 1999]

British Prime Minister Tony Blair stopped in the country for a few hours marking the first such visit by a British prime minister ever. Addressing Parliament, Blair announced that at the December EU summit Great Britain will support a motion to begin accession talks with Rumania. The Prime Minister also expressed his hope that Rumania will be a member of NATO underscoring the fact that Rumania has resolved several historical questions with its neighbors — namely Ukraine and Hungary — and served as "a role model in handling national differences in the region." [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), May 5, 1999]

May 1, 1999

János Barta, publisher of Jelen, the Hungarian-language newspaper in Arad, announced that the paper will be merging with the Hungarian-language weekly in Timisoara/Temesvár, Heti Új Szó. By pooling resources, the leadership of both papers hope to create a stronger and more viable newspaper for the entire Banat/Bánság region under the title Nyugati Jelen. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), May 5, 1999]