The Union – with Transylvania

The Transylvanian interpretation of a European platform

The Hungarians of Transylvania have roots of one thousand years which connect them to Europe. Thus the matter of whether we belong to Europe is out of question. The heart of the matter is rather defining the mission of the representation of Transylvanian Hungarians in such a European Union which is flexing its traditional boundaries and is still searching for its internal order. Furthermore, we are concerned about the progress of our case, i.e. generally the case of Hungarians, then, particularly of our Transylvanian Hungarian community, in a constantly transforming Europe.

Representation in the EP: new means, new prospects

It is a contrivance to address to Europe, which was often apolitical to our case and it is still searching for its identity as an autonomous great power.

It implies new prospects for creating a powerful, competent and fresh Transylvanian Hungarian basis for foreign affairs, which, instead of only supporting the Romanian national interests, would elaborate on the fulfilment of the Transylvanian and, within it, the Hungarian community’s interests and welfare.

Fundamental objectives, responsibilities and priorities

In Europe and the European Parliament we are in search of allies, with the help of whom we will effectively represent, accomplish and safeguard the values and interests of Transylvania and the Partium (western Romania), the coexisting national communities, which reside alongside in strategic partnership. We count ourselves amongst the aforementioned, who are devoted to their homeland, identity, history and future. Due to Romania’s EU membership the term of national sovereignty is being re-interpreted. Therefore, likewise in other member states, the issue of control will be exerted by the state in question along with the European Union’s institutions. Provided that we take advantage of the opportunity given by the representation in the EP we might find protection in Brussels against the Bucharest politics characterized by pursuits to homogenize and centralize the country.

The emphatic representation of the Christian set of values in the new, unified Europe

Europe shall become the entity it once used to be – i.e. one of the essential great powers defining the future of the humanity – if it returns to its Christian roots. This concept applies to those guiding principles and standards which once enhanced its might and reverence: respect for human dignity, constitutionality, Christian solidarity, social security, honouring traditions related to family and nation, organic social and economic progress. The contemporary counter example appears in the everyday practice of accumulative, alienating, self-centred, exclusively profit-oriented and maximizing efforts. In addition, these exert a devastating effect upon our spiritual and natural environment.

Coping with the heritage of Communism

The success of the process that implements into practice and defines the reform represented by the European Parliament is dependant upon the eventuality whether its member states succeed in coping with the events of the last century and manage to infer all the proper conclusions in order to safeguard their plans regarding the future. In case they do not take into account this, they risk the recurrence of past miseries. Approximately two decades after the events of 1989 – which contributed to the changes of regime in East-Central-Europe – the issues of coping with the heritage of communist dictatorship as well as the lustration of communist agents are still topical. If we set our mind in creating a Christian Europe, a dialogue meant to clear up the aforementioned issues should also appear on the agenda of the European institutions.

Protection of family, Christian solidarity and social security

Propagating the actions which were meant to safeguard social security and protect families, and were successfully implemented by member states, is now an essential task for the newly arrived members. Besides a competitive and lucrative public market, there should be an efficient and strong European social security system created and primarily aimed at protecting the traditional institution of the family.

The protection of our spiritual and natural environment

The driving force of Europe is the economic progress that preserves the values and environmental integrity of smaller communities and micro-regions. Our task is to preserve it this way.

The protection of the European minorities – positive practice should become a European standard

Although equality of chance, subsidiarity and self-government are fundamental principles for the European structure and every eighth European citizen belongs to some minority too, the contracts and documents which control the functioning of the European Union are still not clear enough about the particular rights of national minority communities and the individuals who belong to these groups. A new-fangled European order for us cannot be conceived without the clarification of such matters. Our responsibility is to come up with such a rhetoric that is both comprehensible for everyone and it reasons unambiguously. Till this moment this was omitted by those who represented us. It cannot be accepted to renounce to the independent means of foreign affairs for Transylvania’s Hungarians and/or to amalgamate it into the Romanian national foreign affairs even if this results in creating the Bucharest governmental peace. Playing an active role in the executive power does not exclude the determined and courageous representation of the interests of our community on the level of foreign policy. This is the duty of the Transylvanian Hungarian’s representative in the EP.

One of the most significant duties in the European Parliament is the creation of a European chart designed to protecting the rights of minorities, while its orders would represent a normative force. In other words, what the Bucharest government has been denying from us for almost two decades it can be obtained in Brussels with the cooperation of the representatives of minorities. This issue has not only got a human rights connotation but a politics of safety as well. Under such circumstances it is considerable since stability and safety are the key words of the European order in the first decade of the new millennium. We can have the initiative in the settlement of the individual and collective rights of minorities on a European level. Our assignment is to show “the Transylvanian Hungarian model”, which puts emphasis not on the concept of borders, but the various problems of communities in minority as well as dealing with them and putting solutions into practice. This approach is in contrast with the one represented by the Romanian government and its foreign policy, which was propagated successfully and confirmed by the great powers. Nevertheless it was nothing but a “sweeping problems under the carpet” type of minority rights protection. The Transylvanian Hungarian model identifies and locates the solution not merely in safeguarding the right for the use of the mother tongue and traditions – though these should not be underrated – but coming up with elected public authorities sanctified by the law. And these should possess state authority and legal status. The essence of the Transylvanian Hungarian model is that it intends to implement its objectives peacefully, constitutionally and democratically – unlike other minorities living in EU member states which did not exclude violence as means for fighting for their rights. The real challenge is to let Europe know about and comprehend these Transylvanian Hungarian endeavours – peaceful, yet determined – which can be appreciated from the point of view of security policy as well.

National and regional self-government – the system of autonomous communities and European regions

Europe today forms an alliance of national states. The direction of its progress is obvious: the Union will become the confederacy of regions and national communities. Therefore our objectives coincide with Europe’s future.

Transylvania – a multicultural European region

Several member states of the Union are smaller than the Transylvanian region taking into account their population, territory and economic-spiritual potential. Let us create a positive European incitation for Transylvania, as integral part of Romania and from the points of view of its development, investments and strategic vision over its future to become an autonomous European participant. Let us find allies for this purpose domestically and in Europe, in the European Parliament, the Council of the European Regions and amongst the representatives of European macro-regions as well.

The evident result of the European autonomous status could imply that historical territories, such as the Partium region, the Banat and the Szekler Land concomitant of organic development can obtain specific economic and administrational legal status for solving their existing problems. Such an administrational system can be complementary to a self-governing and autonomous system, which is organized on an ethnic community basis, acknowledged and sanctified by the state’s central, regional and local authorities and treated as partner institution. Within this system, every national community, subsequently Transylvanian Hungarians as well, may decide, through their appointed bodies, about their schools, universities and every particular issue concerning their identity and community.

Territorial autonomy to the Szekler Land

Almost half of the Hungarian population of Transylvania has lived for a millennium in the Szekler Land region, where they chose to thrive. The indispensable condition for their progress and growth is the existence of a legal system that would efficiently combine their specific administrational and social traditions with the means of modern public administration that should be in conformity with the European standards. Up to this moment this was hindered by the Romanian public administration and its assumed attitude, which survived with “European scenes” though. Nevertheless, Romanian public administration could never do away with its national political reflexes of homogenization and centralization.

The progress of the European Union points into another direction. Similar European regions – the positive examples of the Italian South-Tyrol or the Spanish Catalonia – show that this is the way to achieve not only the preservation of national identity, but the social and economic welfare as well. With the alliance of similar regions and Europe’s support we should accomplish the autonomy of the Szekler Land, once we firmly stated this objective, then we resolutely represent it.

The spiritual unification of the nation surpassing borders

The Carpathian basin – where once our founding fathers settled down – can become an authentic European macro-region.

The frontier communities have a vigorous role: to take full advantage of the possibilities created by the harmonious assembling of the strategic developments and the joining together of the following neighbouring regions – on either sides of the Hungarian-Romanian border – Timis–Arad and Békés–Csongrád, Bihor and Hajdú-Bihar, Satu Mare and Szabolcs-Szatmár. In these Euro regions, which surpass mere borders, not only the ethnic proportions will modify in a favourable way for our cause, but the economic and infrastructural developments, the improved circumstances of life will support thriving on one’s mother country. Another condition for accomplishing this is to use the financial means granted by the Union in a competent way.

The Hungarian-speaking representatives in the EP then may uniformly support the Hungarian national interests on the basis of a harmonized and improvement-centred national strategy.