Romania and Bulgaria are ready to join the Schengen area. The citizens of the two countries have been waiting for years now to get a positive decision from the member state ministers responsible for internal affairs, pointed out Csaba Sógor in the European Parliament on Wednesday, during the debate about expanding Schengen to Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.

The European Parliament accepted the 2017 annual report on EU citizenship, which, as a result of MEP Csaba Sógor’s contribution deals extensively with the protection of autochthonous minorities, too.

The loopholes in EU legislation concerning minority protection have clear negative consequences on the lives of millions of EU citizens. Therefore, acting on such longstanding omissions is as much a priority as monitoring the application of the EU law - argued Csaba Sógor in the European Parliament. In the Parliament session’s Thursday debate the politician of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania pointed out the shortcomings of the European minority protection in his speech on the report on monitoring the application of EU law in 2015.

The 500th anniversary of the Reformation was celebrated in Brussels with a Transylvanian event-series. MEP Csaba Sógor, representative of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania invited the choir of the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca to perform in the capital of Europe. An exhibition on the Reformation in Central and Eastern Europe made by the pupils of Lórántffy Zsuzsa Reformed High School was also presented. 

We often witness that the national, autochthonous or linguistic minorities living on the territory of the European Union are discriminated against, this is why it is welcome that the president of the European Commission considers that we have to ensure a European Union of freedom, of equality of rights and of rule of law - Csaba Sógor reacted to Jean-Claude Junker’s ‘State of the Union’ speech in the European Parliament.

For the past twenty years the Ház a Holnapért (House for Tomorrow) Association has been offering help to orphan and socially disadvantaged children and young adults. The NGO offers a good example for the entire Romanian childcare system with its activity - considers Csaba Sógor, Member of the European Parliament and president of the association. The 20th anniversary was held in Cristuru Secuiesc / Székelykeresztúr on 16 September, in the presence of the association’s German supporters.

Yes, this is happening in the European Union, not somewhere in the third world - Csaba Sógor said in the European Parliament about the situation of the Roman Catholic Theological High School from Târgu Mureș.

This summer the European Union joined the Istanbul Convention - the members of the European Union debated about its implementation and monitoring on Monday afternoon in Strasbourg. In his speech Csaba Sógor MEP from RMDSZ stated that emphasis should be put not only on the fight against violence but on prevention and raising awareness too, because violence against women is not a private matter.

Like the President of the European Parliament, MEPs have to support the Minority SafePack initiative in the coming period - Csaba Sógor asked his fellow Members of the European Parliament.

With the participation of several experts from the Carpathian Basin a conference was held on the situation of Hungarian minority media on Wednesday, 7 June, in the European Parliament. The conference dealt with minority media in Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine.

Autochthonous national minorities need positive discrimination for genuine equal opportunities - said Csaba Sógor during the European Parliament's plenary on Wednesday evening. The DAHR representative expressed his opinion that the 2017 report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) does not deal with national minorities.

Fifty students and teachers from Brasov, Cluj and Deva were invitees of Iuliu Winkler, MEP (RMDSZ, EPP), at a conference organized in the European Parliament in Brussels, which aimed to share best practices acquired within the “Protectors of Our Heritage - Adopt a Monument” Program; this initiative targets the safeguarding of the historical and cultural heritage of Transylvania by the youth.

The new Ukrainian education draft law is a setback regarding mother tongue education, ignoring the concerns expressed by representatives of national minorities – pointed out Csaba Sógor, adding that apparently the Ukrainian Government has not read the conclusions of the most recent European Council meeting on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which emphasizes that the principles of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should be respected in the country.

Use of mother tongue and informing citizens in their own language ought to be encouraged in the European Union – this was the conclusion of the conference held in the European Parliament, where MEPs and language experts debated on the issue of linguistic equality in the digital age. Participants agreed, that the use of mother tongue would not only stimulate the economy but could also contribute to EU citizens being properly informed.

Representatives of nongovernmental organizations dealing with the disabled urged for a better support of the work of social organizations and a shared setting of common goals. The specialists had a meeting in Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfântu-Gheorghe), where they agreed to collaborate more in the future in order to improve the situation of people living with disabilities.

We cannot stand by and act like we can’t see the abuses of power in the fight against corruption in Romania – stated Sógor Csaba on Monday evening at the plenary session of the European Parliament. The Hungarian MEP from Transylvania showed the example of the Catholic School in Târgu-Mureș - the legality of establishment of which was recently questioned - saying that though the European public opinion often considers Romania’s actions against corruption as exemplary it ought to also see the abuses.

MEPs called upon the Commission to set up a binding mechanism that would guarantee the respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Member States. As a Hungarian from Romania Csaba Sógor stated: this may be the greatest practical contribution the European Parliament ever made in order to develop a framework for the European Union that would make the Copenhagen Criteria – including on securing the rights of national minorities – binding in case of Member States that already joined the EU.  

Members of the European Parliament Csaba Sógor and Pál Csáky debated about the transitioning Europe, the failings of multiculturalism, as well as the causes and consequences of the migration crises and the effects of Brexit. Hungarian MEP from Slovakia Csáky Pál arrived to Cluj-Napoca for the debate at the invitation of MEP Csaba Sógor. The event that took place on Friday, October 14^th was hosted by Lutheran bishop Dezső Zoltán Adorjáni.