Hungarian MEP Csaba Tabajdi has stressed the need for the European Commission to have a member responsible for fundamental and minority rights.
“It is now up to EC President Jose Manuel Barroso to fulfill his promise and set up a fundamental and minority rights portfolio in the EU’s highest decision-making body,” Tabajdi told the two-day plenary session of the European Parliament that started on Wednesday.
The new commissioner should effectively represent the rights of indigenous national minorities, migrating minorities and the Roma, said Tabajdi.
Until now the rights of minorities have been handled by the freedom, justice and security commissioner, he noted.
The Hungarian MEP said that until now issues connected to the harm done to the rights of minorities had been avoided.
“Now is the time to leave this practice behind and face up to problems and help solve those [problems] in a meaningful way,” said Tabajdi, adding that the preamble to the Lisbon Treaty mentions protecting the rights of minorities and putting this on a proper EU-wide legal footing.
