Minority Issues at the End of the 20th Century and the Beginning of the 21th Century. Case Study: The Hungarian Minority from Romania

Currently, minorities are present in all countries, especially in developed countries in terms of economy; but the main economic, social, educational and security problems when it comes to majority-minority relations are registered in less developed ones, in states in transition. This paper deals with some of the key issues in the inclusion of national minorities in political, social and economic life in Romania. We chose Romania as case study, a state that after the fall of communism took a series of measures to solve the problem of national and ethnic minorities, especially for the Hungarian minority, which has been most active in claiming educational, social, economic, political and religious rights.The paper explores problems of national minorities’ participation and underlines the importance of the review of the legal framework and its ability to tackle problems more successfully. Regarding participation of national minorities in political, social, economic life in general and in public administration, in particular, there are two contradictory opinions. It is stated in all official documents that national minorities are enjoying all rights and privileges. On the other hand, representatives of national minorities argue that their rights are left on paper only.