Mayors of the region met in the town of Gabčíkovo (Bős) to negotiate the formation of a local government association which would operate as a support organisation for the use of the Hungarian language in state administration. With the cooperation of municipalities, the aim is to ensure full satisfaction of the provisions which include obligations imposed by the legislation and options as well, as the Slovak state fails to back the use of minority languages financially or technically.
Even by just considering official and non-official surveys conducted in the past years, it can be concluded that even the already limited regulatory requirements for the use of Hungarian language are barely respected, in particular with regard to dealings with the authorities in writing. Since developing an unambiguous terminology on a continuous basis and administrators with professional knowledge necessary for preparing bilingual documents and papers are essential for ensuring the use of minority languages in citizens’ dealings with the authorities.
A terminology committee attached to the local government association and a translation agency will provide swift and professional translation services for the member municipalities. The long-term operations of the association will provide professional support for the use of Hungarian language in state administration, and the cooperation of local governments is far more effective financially. The local government association Lingua Civis to be formed soon will be open to all ethnic Hungarian municipalities that wish to be a member of the association.
Iván Fenes, Mayor of Gabčíkovo, and József Menyhárt, Chairman of the Party of the Hungarian Community, convened the meeting, and encouraged other mayors to join the association. They both underlined that this is a common cause that is important for all Hungarians in Slovakia, irrespective of their party affiliation.
mkp.sk
