Romanian Parliament debates minority linguistic rights

A heated debate occurred in the Romanian Parliament regarding a legislative proposal to amend the Administrative Code. The proposal aims to modify Article 604 of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2019 by removing the phrase “until the date of validation of the results of the next census.” This change is intended to consolidate the principle of acquired rights concerning the use of national minority languages in administrative-territorial units.

During the session, Dan Tanasă, a deputy from the AUR party, confronted UDMR deputies Csoma Botond and Marko Attila. Tanasă addressed Botond in Hungarian, stating, “Ez nem Magyarorszag, ez Romania” (This is not Hungary, this is Romania). He argued that UDMR seeks to strengthen the semi-official status of the Hungarian language in Harghita and Covasna counties.

In response, Marko Attila advocated for linguistic rights to remain valid even if the minority population falls below 20%, noting that bilingual signage in communes does not cause harm. The dispute highlighted tensions over how minority language protections should be maintained regardless of demographic shifts.