Section 1 The Government, in compliance with the stipulations of Act LXXVII/1993 Section 62, subsection (1) on the rights of the national and ethnic minorities, shall establish an Office for National and Ethnic Minorities (hereafter: the Office) to meet the government’s responsibilities related to the national and ethnic minorities in Hungary.
Section 2 Subsection (1) The Office will be an autonomous agency of public administration with nation-wide authority, working under the supervision of the Minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office.
Subsection (2) The President of the Office will be appointed by the Prime Minister upon the proposition of the Minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office.
Subsection (3) Two Vice-Presidents of the Office will be appointed by the Minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office upon the proposition of the President.
Subsection (4) The Statutes of the Office shall be established by the President and approved by the Minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office.
Section 3 The Office will be a budgetary institution having full rights and an independent management; its budget will be an independent title within the chapter of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Section 4 Relating to the Government’s minority policy, the Office shall
a) prepare government decisions on minority policy
b) co-ordinate the execution of the government programme with regard to the minorities;
c) contribute to the review of the Act No LXXVII/1993 on the rights of national and ethnic minorities (hereafter Minorities Act) and the related legal regulations and the preparation of amendments;
d) continuously analyse and assess the enforcement of national and ethnic minority rights, analyse and assess the position of the minorities, in order to facilitate the adoption of governmental decisions;
e) prepare a bi-annual government report as stipulated in Section 63, subsection (3) of the Minorities Act;
f) promote the exchange of views and information between the Government and minority organisations.
Section 5 With regard to the responsibilities of public administration agencies related to the minorities, the Office shall
a) monitor the implementation of minority tasks that belong to the scope of other public administration bodies;
b) initiate measures if necessary;
c) participate in opinion forming on issues affecting the minorities and assist in the co-ordination of minority opinions;
Section 6 With regard to minority organisations, the Office shall
a) liaise with minority self-governments, the interest representing groups of the minorities and other professional organisations and provide professional assistance if so required;
b) contribute, within the framework of agreements with minority organisations, to revealing minority interests and to an assessment of particular minority needs.
Section 7 The Office shall liaise with the Parliamentary Committee dealing with minority issues and with the Ombudsman of national and ethnic minority rights.
Section 8 The office shall:
a) in the spirit of the principles of international treaties, build relations with the kin-States or linguistic kin-nations of the minorities in the interest of the national minorities living in Hungary;
b) liaise with international organisations and institutions that deal with the protection of the rights of minorities living in different countries.
Section 9 In terms of informing the public about the position of the minorities, the Office shall
a) monitor the trends of public opinion on minorities including the domestic and international press;
b) regularly inform the public on the implementation of the objectives of minority policy;
c) operate an information service to promote better information of the minority population, public administration bodies and the media;
d) keep records of the needs and tasks related to the minorities and on the position of the minorities; build and maintain contacts with research institutions and workshops.
Section 10 The Office shall meet the responsibilities set for the Office by the Government in the joint committees and inter-ministerial committees established by the Government.
Section 11 With regard to State and budgetary subsidies for the minorities, the Office shall
a) prepare government-level financing programmes related to minority tasks;
b) prepare the evaluation of minority co-ordination and intervention applications and control their execution;
c) meet its responsibilities in terms of general support provided to the local minority self-governments for their operation as stipulated in the Budget Act.
Section 12 The Office shall contribute to the fulfillment of the tasks regarding the operation of the Hungarian Public Foundation for National and Ethnic Minorities.
Section 13 The President of the Office shall function as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian Public Foundation for National and Ethnic Minorities.
Section 14 The Office shall meet the responsibilities within its scope of authority as stipulated in legal regulations or other legal means of state administration.
Section 15 This Decree shall take effect on day 15 after it has been published; at the same time the Government Decree No 34/1990 (VIII. 30) on the Office of the National and Ethnic Minorities as well as the Government Decree No 128/1998 (VII.15), Section 4 on the amendment of certain government decrees related to the establishment of the government shall expire.
1 Amended by Gov. Decree No 244/2002. (XI.16.)