The EP’s Minority Intergroup has been re-established

Press release by MEP Kinga Gál and Lóránt Vincze

The European Parliament’s Minority Intergroup held its opening session today in Brussels. Fidesz MEP Kinga Gál has been unanimously elected as the Co-Chairwoman for the fourth five-year term. Along with MEP Gál, EPP Group MEP Lóránt Vincze (RMDSZ) from Transylvania and French Green MEP Francois Alfonsi from Corsica will serve as Co-Chairmen.

The Minority Intergroup ensures unified EP actions for the protection of traditional national and linguistic minorities. According to the rules of procedure, intergroups have to be re-established at the start of each parliamentary term.

“I made it my personal mission that one of the Parliament’s longest-standing and most active intergroups shall continue its work. As a result of grave struggle, we managed to garner the necessary support: 42 MEPs from 18 Member States will be part of the intergroup. From a Hungarian perspective, the work of the Minority Intergroup bears great importance as it provides an opportunity for the leaders and experts of Hungarian communities beyond our borders to present the situation of their communities personally, the problems and challenges they face on a daily basis: mother tongue education, minority language media and language use,” Kinga Gál said following the session.

The Fidesz MEP emphasized: “During the last fifteen years, organizing the work of the intergroup demanded continuous attention and effort. But this was the only way to keep the problems of Hungarian and other traditional national and linguistic minorities in Europe on the agenda and spark attempts to resolve them. We engage in a day-to-day struggle to find the common denominator between future EU standards and the protection of indigenous national and linguistic minority communities”.

“As newly-elected co-chairman, it is my resolute aim to further increase the intergroup’s role from a minority perspective. Among other ideas, I will work for active participation in the drafting of minority-related legislation so that the new EU laws benefit national and indigenous minorities. The support of the intergroup will also be vital for the future of the Minority SafePack package”, highlighted RMDSZ MEP Lóránt Vincze, President of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN).