Strasbourg, 25.11.2009 – Council of Europe member states should aim to adopt laws in the field of minorities on the basis of the best European practice, declared PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig at the end of a two-day official visit to Hungary (24-25 November).
He stressed that Council of Europe standards and instruments, including the expertise of the Venice Commission, its group of independent legal experts, should be used to settle possible conflicts arising from issues concerning the treatment of minorites. Besides this legal framework, the Parliamentary Assembly represents the most appropriate forum to pursue political dialogue on these issues, the President pointed out.
In the course of his visit, Mr de Puig met President László Sólyom, the Speaker of the National Assembly Béla Katona, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and the State Secretary in the Foreign Ministry Vilmos Szabó, as well as Katalin Szili MP, former Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Hungarian delegation to PACE. He also addressed the Forum of National and Ethnic Minorities in Hungary and visited the European Youth Centre and the Council of Europe Information Office in Budapest.
During his discussions, the PACE President also expressed appreciation for the consultation structures put in place in Hungary to strenthen dialogue with representatives of national and ethnic minorities living in the country. At the same time, he encouraged the authorites to intensify efforts aiming at better integration, in particular of the Roma minority, and strictly enforce rules of non-discrimination. In particular, he called on the Hungarian authorities to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, made after his October visit to Hungary.
