site.btaConference on National Minorities in EU Held at Bulgarian House of Culture in Budapest

On November 7 and 8, a meeting took place in Budapest to discuss the problems of national minorities in the European Union. It was held in the framework of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Svetla Kyoseva, editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian-Hungarian magazine for culture and public life Hemus, told BTA.

The meeting took place at the Bulgarian Cultural House and the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre, which was opened in May of 2024. This "Little Bulgaria", as the Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Hungarian Communities Abroad Zsolt Semjen called it, gathered representatives of national communities from all over Europe.

The conference was opened by Semjen, who is also chairman of the Christian Democratic People's Party. He drew attention to the fact that since 2015 Hungary has not used the term "minorities" in relation to national communities, as they are creators of values and, according to the country's constitution, are a state-forming factor.

There are approximately 550,000 people living in Hungary who belong to 13 different nationalities. The State is helping them build their cultural and institutional autonomy, Semjen added.

During the conference, representatives of national communities in Europe discussed the situation of minorities, talked about their communities, shared experiences and outlined possible perspectives. Germans in Denmark, Frisians in the Netherlands, Sorbs (Slavic community) in Saxony, Ladins in South Tyrol, Germans in Alsace, Romanians in Hungary and others presented interesting aspects of their way of life and the dangers that threaten them as communities.

During the breaks between panels, traditional and folklore groups of the nationalities attending the forum showed off their skills.