14.07.2016, 17:47
Government Also Supports Hungarian Communities Beyond Borders
OREANDA-NEWS. It is important for the Government that every Hungarian community should be able to find advancement in their native land, and is therefore also supporting Hungarian communities beyond the borders, the people who live in those communities with economic means, Árpád János Potápi, State Secretary for National Policy at the Prime Minister’s Office said at the opening of the internship programme of the Dr Szász Pál scholarship on Monday.
At the event held in the House of Hungarian Communities, the State Secretary said: the policy regarding Hungarian communities was previously characterised by ups and downs. June 2001, when the status legislation was passed, was one of the peaks, while December 2004 was an all-time low with the referendum held with respect to dual citizenship.
In 2010, however, with the change of government, major changes started in the field of nation policy. That was the year, for instance, when the law on expedited naturalisation was passed, to be followed by other regulations which determine the framework of Hungary’s nation policy, he said.
As Mr Potápi pointed out, almost 820,000 people have applied for Hungarian citizenship to date, and 770,000 have been granted citizenship and have taken their citizenship oaths. The goal is to achieve that the number of those having requested Hungarian citizenship should reach one million by 2018, he said. He added: in the last year to eighteen months, „major efforts have been made” to support Hungarian communities with economic means.
He mentioned as an example the economic programme launched in Vojvodina in January. A similar programme will soon begin in Transcarpathia, and the fiscal allocations have also been made available for programmes of a similar nature in Muravidék and around Eszék. Upon speaking about Transcarpathia, Mr Potápi highlighted: a war is being waged between brothers in the East of Ukraine, and this has an impact on the entire country.
The war conflict is intensifying the economic crisis, and as a result, the very existence of the Hungarian community has been called into question. We are therefore making every effort to keep the Hungarian people there, in their native land, he said. As the State Secretary pointed out, as part of the one-week internship, scholarship holders will not only have the opportunity to enhance their legal knowledge, but will also be able to better acquaint themselves with one another’s and the different regions’ history as well as with the situation of the Hungarian communities in each of those regions.
Sándor Ambrus, Director for Legal Affairs and Human Resources of Bethlen Gárbor Alapkezelő Zrt. highlighted in his welcome speech that it is an objective of Hungary’s nation policy to ensure that there should be highly qualified lawyers within the Hungarian communities beyond the borders of the country who are able to provide answers to questions concerning business, political and community issues.
Miklós Klenanc said on behalf of the Budapest Bar Association, which coordinates the professional programme, that year after year law firms in ever increasing numbers indicate their intention to mentor interns, among other reasons because they appreciate the scholarship holders’ language skills. As he said, the possibility of communicating with people living in different countries in Hungarian also in official issues is a competitive advantage in the Carpathian Basin which „would be a crime not to use”.
The Szász Pál scholarship programme for lawyers was established by the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice in 2012, in cooperation with Bethlen Gábor Alapkezelő Zrt. The Budapest Bar Association agreed to take part in the implementation of the professional part of the programme, and to also evaluate the professional tasks. The purpose of the scholarship programme is for Hungarian communities beyond the borders to have highly qualified lawyers committed to the nation who are equally familiar with the relevant terminology in Hungarian and in the language of the majority state and have gained experience in both countries.
At the event held in the House of Hungarian Communities, the State Secretary said: the policy regarding Hungarian communities was previously characterised by ups and downs. June 2001, when the status legislation was passed, was one of the peaks, while December 2004 was an all-time low with the referendum held with respect to dual citizenship.
In 2010, however, with the change of government, major changes started in the field of nation policy. That was the year, for instance, when the law on expedited naturalisation was passed, to be followed by other regulations which determine the framework of Hungary’s nation policy, he said.
As Mr Potápi pointed out, almost 820,000 people have applied for Hungarian citizenship to date, and 770,000 have been granted citizenship and have taken their citizenship oaths. The goal is to achieve that the number of those having requested Hungarian citizenship should reach one million by 2018, he said. He added: in the last year to eighteen months, „major efforts have been made” to support Hungarian communities with economic means.
He mentioned as an example the economic programme launched in Vojvodina in January. A similar programme will soon begin in Transcarpathia, and the fiscal allocations have also been made available for programmes of a similar nature in Muravidék and around Eszék. Upon speaking about Transcarpathia, Mr Potápi highlighted: a war is being waged between brothers in the East of Ukraine, and this has an impact on the entire country.
The war conflict is intensifying the economic crisis, and as a result, the very existence of the Hungarian community has been called into question. We are therefore making every effort to keep the Hungarian people there, in their native land, he said. As the State Secretary pointed out, as part of the one-week internship, scholarship holders will not only have the opportunity to enhance their legal knowledge, but will also be able to better acquaint themselves with one another’s and the different regions’ history as well as with the situation of the Hungarian communities in each of those regions.
Sándor Ambrus, Director for Legal Affairs and Human Resources of Bethlen Gárbor Alapkezelő Zrt. highlighted in his welcome speech that it is an objective of Hungary’s nation policy to ensure that there should be highly qualified lawyers within the Hungarian communities beyond the borders of the country who are able to provide answers to questions concerning business, political and community issues.
Miklós Klenanc said on behalf of the Budapest Bar Association, which coordinates the professional programme, that year after year law firms in ever increasing numbers indicate their intention to mentor interns, among other reasons because they appreciate the scholarship holders’ language skills. As he said, the possibility of communicating with people living in different countries in Hungarian also in official issues is a competitive advantage in the Carpathian Basin which „would be a crime not to use”.
The Szász Pál scholarship programme for lawyers was established by the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice in 2012, in cooperation with Bethlen Gábor Alapkezelő Zrt. The Budapest Bar Association agreed to take part in the implementation of the professional part of the programme, and to also evaluate the professional tasks. The purpose of the scholarship programme is for Hungarian communities beyond the borders to have highly qualified lawyers committed to the nation who are equally familiar with the relevant terminology in Hungarian and in the language of the majority state and have gained experience in both countries.
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