Hungarian Minority in Romania: National Day Celebrations
Hungarians in Romania celebrate the Hungarian National Day.
Below is an article published by BalkanInsight.com:
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Monday sent a message to ethnic Hungarians in Romania who celebrate Hungary's National Day on March 15, saying they should also be proud to be Romanian citizens.
"Today's events celebrate Hungary's National Day, a memorial day of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and also bring to light once again the aspirations of Hungarians, Romanians and other European nations for national modernization and emancipation," Basescu said in a public message.
He stressed that Hungarians should also be proud of their Romanian citizenship, saying that Romania is country for all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity.
There are 19 officially recognised ethnic minorities in Romania, and they enjoy a range of rights, including the right to study in their mother tongue or to use their mother tongue in administration in regions where their group accounts for at least 20 per cent of the general population.
About seven per cent of Romania's 22 million citizens are ethnic Hungarian, and the group represents one of the largest minority populations in Romania. Most ethnic Hungarians live in the central Transylvanian counties.
Some 600,000 Szeklers - another name for the Hungarians from this region, where they are the majority - have long campaigned for an autonomous region in Transylvania.
Transylvania became part of Romania after Hungary emerged on the losing side of WWI in 1918.
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Monday sent a message to ethnic Hungarians in Romania who celebrate Hungary's National Day on March 15, saying they should also be proud to be Romanian citizens.
"Today's events celebrate Hungary's National Day, a memorial day of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and also bring to light once again the aspirations of Hungarians, Romanians and other European nations for national modernization and emancipation," Basescu said in a public message.
He stressed that Hungarians should also be proud of their Romanian citizenship, saying that Romania is country for all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity.
There are 19 officially recognised ethnic minorities in Romania, and they enjoy a range of rights, including the right to study in their mother tongue or to use their mother tongue in administration in regions where their group accounts for at least 20 per cent of the general population.
About seven per cent of Romania's 22 million citizens are ethnic Hungarian, and the group represents one of the largest minority populations in Romania. Most ethnic Hungarians live in the central Transylvanian counties.
Some 600,000 Szeklers - another name for the Hungarians from this region, where they are the majority - have long campaigned for an autonomous region in Transylvania.
Transylvania became part of Romania after Hungary emerged on the losing side of WWI in 1918.
