Trianon 100 – Linguistic, cultural minority rights must be protected, say organisations in Western Europe
The linguistic and cultural rights of minority communities deserve legal protections, an NGO representing Hungarian national minority organisations in Western Europe has said in a memorandum sent to MEPs and other minority organisations in Europe.
The federation’s president, Ernő Deák, sent the memorandum to 17 national minority organisations and to all MEPs in four languages — German, French, English and Hungarian — calling on governments to ensure the peaceful development of minorities in all areas of life based on a coordinated, balanced reconciliation of interests.
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The spirit of democratic pluralism and the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe must be protected, he wrote, adding that it was natural to make a reassessment of minority rights in light of the 100th anniversary of the post-WW1 Trianon Treaty, and place them on a new footing based on full equality.
Linguistic and cultural communities formed during historical processes and as a result of “arbitrarily drawn” state borders, should be preserved, the memorandum said.
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Minorities, like national nations, should enjoy full political, legal, social and cultural equality, it added.
The unequivocal task and duty of the European Union is to implement these principles, the memorandum of the Federation of Hungarian Associations and Organisations said.
