We still need to stand up for our human and fundamental rights

However, Kinga Gál contiuned that those 20 years have proved to be too short to get rid of all the consequences of Communism in some countries. Because of the deficit in fundamental and minority rights the MEP underlined that the change of regime in Central-Eastern-Europe was not followed by an automatic change in mentality.

Kinga Gál referred to two incidents which took place in Budapest. In October 2006 the police completely disregarded people's right to association, right to fair and equitable treatment, and the prohibition of torture and degrading treatment. The citizens whose rights were violated are still seeking redress over their treatment, but in vain.  Citizens who were subject to diversion, inhuman and degrading treatment as part of the police's countermeasures have called for the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Kinga Gál highlighted that people in their homeland who speak their own mother tongue, for example Slovakia, often do no benefit from democratic rights simply because they belong to a national minority of the state in question. Traditional minorities are subjected to discrimination in several new member-states of the European Union.

Ms Gal criticised the erection of a new statue of a prominent communist leader who was responsible for ordering the security forces to shoot at the protesting crowds in 1989 December at the time of the collapse of the previous regime.

Closing her remarks, she drew attention to the common responsibility of the EU institutions to stand up for fundamental rights.