The Group of European People’s Party (EPP) accepted Mr. Csaba Borboly’s proposals on national minorities on the meeting organized on 2nd of April in Brussels. In the draft opinion of the EPP Group the minority issue of Ukraine, the protection of their language was also included. Moreover, president of Harghita County Council, member of the EPP Group within the Committee of the Regions has also transmitted the letter of the president of the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova, accordingly voicing out the concerned message.
Mr. Csaba Borboly’s proposals included in the document of the EPP Group were also voted by the Committee of the Regions on its plenary session held on 3rd of April. During his speech the county council president discussed two main issues: the current crisis situation in Ukraine and the situation triggered by withdrawing the regional language -law. He asked Europe to pay attention to the rights of ethnic and linguistic minorities since it is unacceptable the fact that the rights of minorities -large in number- are not taken in consideration, pointing out also the situation of Russian, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish minorities in Ukraine. Accordingly, this proposal was added to the draft opinion of the EPP Group, which became part of the Committee of the Regions’ opinion framework on Ukraine. In the concerned document it is laid down that the Ukrainian citizens can decide on the future of Ukraine, without practicing external impact on them. Moreover, based on the European Convention on Human Rights, the Helsinki Final Act and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, calls the attention of the Ukrainian government to respect the rights of minorities living there.
The county council president transmits the message of Moldavian authorities
The document accepted by the Committee of the Regions supports the speeding-up process of Republic of Moldova’s accession to the European Union since because of the situation evolved in Ukraine as well as for the safe of South-East European regions, the country has to be pulled toward the EU and not pushed away – that is why its EU accession is highly important. The Treaty of Accession between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union could be the guarantee for the security of regions – as it was emphasized by the president of Harghita County Council. The speeding-up of the accession is also asked by the president of the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova in his letter, which was transmitted by Mr. Csaba Borboly as the vice-president of the National Union of County Councils in Romania to the EPP Group.
Furthermore, it was also included the wish that the European Union together with the Republic of Moldova’s government should monitor and evaluate the realization of decentralization processes and of local autonomy. The Congress considers important the elaboration of development programmes by the Moldavian local and regional governments and between member states and regional governments under the auspices of the Committee of the Regions. The first step toward this would be the collaboration agreement between the Congress and the Committee of the Regions, as well as the elaboration of a common action plan – as the message of the president of the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova was presented by Mr. Csaba Borboly.
The president of Harghita County Council is the permanent member of the Committee of the Regions since October of 2012. Moreover, he is member of the Commissions for Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) and for Education, Youth and Research (EDUC) of the Committee of the Regions, and he takes part in the related meetings as being the member of the Group of the European People’s Party (EPP Group) as well. For those interested in the activity of the county council president in the Committee of the Regions, further information may be found at http://www.borbolycsaba.ro/en/committe-of-the-regions/.
Miercurea Ciuc, 3rd of April 2014
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