The Senate rejected the three RMDSZ initiatives on Szeklerland autonomy

The Senate rejected, as a decision-making body, the three initiatives of the RMDSZ on the autonomy of Szeklerland.

During the plenary debates, senators from all other political parties stressed that the laws violate several articles of the Constitution and undermine the rule of law. However, the initiators argued that territorial autonomy does not mean changing the country's borders, as it is a right that operates in several European countries.

Parliamentarians stressed during the discussions that the proposed documents contravene several articles of the Basic Law and therefore cannot be supported.

However, the initiators pointed out that with these proposals, the RMDSZ supports decentralisation and the principle of subsidiarity for national minorities. RMDSZ Senator Lóránd Turos:

Lóránd Turos: Romania's Parliament has owed a law on the status of national minorities for more than 30 years. I hope that in the near future we will have a broad debate on the status of minorities, that we will have an unprejudiced discussion on this issue and that we will be able to draft a law that guarantees the rights of all minorities in Romania.

Reporter: On the other hand, PSD Senator Titus Corlatean said that the Social Democrats cannot agree with such proposals.

Titus Corlatean: This vision, which we also find in this bill, represents an old obsession and at the same time proposes a vision that is, I said, deeply toxic. It proposes a separation and not a proper integration, relations of good cooperation, harmony, mutual respect and respect for the preservation of the national identity of national minorities.

Reporter: From the opposition, the leader of the AUR senators, Claudiu Tarziu, also criticised the legislative initiatives, but said they were a pretext in a play by PSD and RMDSZ.

Translated by: Radu Matei