Hungary's minority ombudsman Erno Kallai on Monday proposed establishing a House of Minorities to halt the assimilation of national and ethnic minorities and protect their cultural assets.

A recent survey covering all the 13 officially recognised minorities, showed major shortcomings in all fields of their cultural life, Kallai told a news conference.

For this reason, the ombudsman proposed 35 pieces of legislation and made 78 recommendations for the government and the minority organisations.

In addition to developing the existing cultural network, there is a need for setting up a common cultural centre, the House of Minorities, which would keep the public collections of the 12 national minorities and the Roma ethnic minority. The facility would also operate as a research centre, library and centre of the arts, he said.

"If we want to keep Hungary as a multicultural state as specified in the Constitution, we need concrete steps, institutions and funds rather than mere declarations. Otherwise, our minorities, mainly the smaller ones with no institutions, could end up fully disappearing from Hungary's ethnic map within a few decades," he said.