Csak highlights ‘firm commitment’ to national minorities’ self-determination

The Hungarian government has “very good connections” with both the representatives of ethnic minorities in Hungary and with their mother countries, too, Janos Csak said.

With the exception of Ukraine, all those countries are EU members, which offers educational and cultural opportunities, he said, urging those countries to contribute to the cultural lives of their minorities in Hungary. The minister said a new system of cultural regulations would be prepared and submitted for social consultations in the spring. He added that the draft would be discussed with national minority representatives, too, before it is submitted to parliament. He pledged that the new rules would create a “simple, unified, and transparent system”.

Concerning the Erasmus and Horizon European higher education programmes, Csak said the EU had laid “legally unfounded claims” against Hungary, but added that open issues around the schemes could be settled with the EU in the first quarter of next year. Apart from the two European programmes, the government has set up its Pannonia Programme to promote the mobility of teachers and students with a budget of 10 billion forints (EUR 26.3m), the minister said.