Europe is in a process of transformation, the European Union is in a process of changing.
We will be witnesses at the birth of a new Europe in the next few years. We – the Hungarians from Transylvania, the Szecklres, the Hungarians from Banat and Partium, those who are living in internal Diasporas – have been articulating many times in the documents of the previous Congresses and in our electoral programs, what kind of Europe we want. Now, thanks to the work done in the past two years, together with the other national minorities’ communities from Europe, we can formulate the most important goal.
We want to have a European legislation for protecting the rights of national communities which are living in minority, and we will support this goal with the help of the European Citizens Initiative and with the aid of one million of signatures. The acknowledgment of the rights of the national minorities’ communities is different in the EU from one Member State to another. There are Member States which provide cultural and territorial autonomy for their minorities’ communities, but, unfortunately, there are other Member States which refuse to admit the existence of such of communities on their territory.
We must improve the situation of the national minorities’ communities in the EU! Our existence enriches Europe, gives more power to Europe, and the first article in the Lisbon Treaty admits that one of values of the EU is minorities. Now it is the time to put this acknowledgment into practice. Now the time has come in order to receive all guaranties of the observance of the rights of minorities on the basis of a European regulation.
RMDSZ – the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians from Romania – has started the cooperation with national minorities’ communities at European level and its main partners are the Popular Party from South Tyrol and the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN). The result of this cooperation has to be the collecting of one million signatures to support our legitimate desires.
The RMDSZ’s aim is to collect a quarter of one million signatures from Transylvania, and to achieve this everyone must work together. Today, for only one day, we are delegates at this Congress, but starting from tomorrow we have to go on with our work, each one for the benefit of our community. We shall prove that Hungarians from Transylvania are able to express their will in a concrete manner and in a united way.
A new Europe is on its way to being born over the next years. Starting from its foundation in 1990, RMDSZ has been promoter of European values. Since 2007, when Romania joined the EU, we have endeavored to influence the benefits to our community regarding the changes taking place in Europe. The Hungarian community has been contributing to the building of Europe for one thousand years, not only for 7 or 24 years. For one thousand years we have been building Europe, brick by brick, here in the Carpathian Basin, Central Europe being the result of our contribution.
Therefore, we have to be where the decisions are make, we have to be there, now, when Europe is in the process of transformation, we have to be there when new rules will be made, when the European institutions must be closer to its citizens, when the Europe of regions and communities is forming. We must be present in the European Parliament and we must answer to the challenges up of the coming year election.
We can keep the trust of our community due to the joint efforts of the territorial organizations, of our elected officials at local level, and of our mayors, with the help of every RMDSZ member. Together we will be able to face the European elections having as our main goal the possibility to have a say in Europe.
The 11th Congress of RMDSZ
Miercurea Ciuc, 26 May 2013
