Raising Awareness of the Dire Humanitarian Crisis in Northern Iraq 2015. 02. 13. Last week, as part of an official delegation, I visited Erbil and Northern Iraq, communities overwhelmed with the humanitarian crisis brought on by the belligerent actions of the so-called Islamic State. [Blog post by György Hölvényi]
The High Commissioner on National Minorities at the meeting of the EP Minority Intergroup 2015. 02. 12. The invited speaker of the Minority Intergroup during its meeting today in Strasbourg was Astrid Thors, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities who emphasized the importance to guarantee the respect for the rights of national minorities in and outside the EU.
Debate on illegal migration issue in the EP 2015. 02. 11. The European Asylum issue was debated in the European Parliament today. Kinga Gál provided a written comment on the discussion, that can be read below.
Commissioner Navracsics: Getting Rid of Lenin Statues at Home, Promoting Strong Coalitions in Brussels 2015. 02. 05. Hungary’s EU Commissioner, Tibor Navracsics, was the latest guest earlier this week at the popular event series called “Hungarian Wave.” Commissioner Navracsics, who is responsible for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, talked before a packed house about his former role as a minister in the Hungarian government, discussed the challenges of his new portfolio, and shared insights into the ideological vision that has guided his career.
What is S&D Group President Pittella Trying to Say When He Congratulates Greece’s Syriza? 2015. 02. 05. S&D Group President Gianni Pittella was among the first to congratulate Syriza, the populist, new-left winner of Greece’s parliamentary elections earlier this week. The S&D Group, it seems, has some interesting friends.
Religious dialogue: accepting one another as a pledge for peace 2015. 01. 29. Following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Europe became united in deep mourning. Europeans felt threatened not only as individuals but also collectively, as a community - a very natural initial reaction to the tragedy.
Plastic Bags: EPP Group fully backs reduction of use by 2025 2014. 11. 25. The annual consumption of single-use plastic bags needs to be scaled down considerably. An EU-wide Regulation aims to decrease litter and the negative environmental impact of discarded plastic bags in two steps by 2019 and 2025.
Hungarian Minister of Justice and Kinga Gál’s presentation at the University of Szeged 2014. 11. 10. There seems to be an unfolding race between the European Council and the European Commission, which should have the main role in examining the rule of law, told László Trócsányi, university professor and Minister of Justice at a conference on Monday. Relating to the aforementioned, Kinga Gál illustrated with concrete facts how complicated and dangerous this situation was.
Hungarians in Transcarphatia need fair parlamentary representation 2014. 09. 01. The European Union foresees the resolution of the Ukrainian domestic political crisis in the implementation of reform measures towards the democratic rule of law. The protection of national minorities and the respect of their rights shall be part of this process. Based on the decree of the Ukrainian President on the 27th of August 2014, the Central Election Commission announced the date and the district boundaries of the early parliamentary elections. The Hungarian EPP Group Delegation welcomes the elections, however it has to be stated that the decree deprives 150 thousand Transcarpathian Hungarians from the possibility of forming a parliamentary representation, thereby contradicts the Ukrainian election law.