RFE/RL Daily Report
No. 177, 16 September 1994
TRANSPORTATION MINISTERS MEET IN SLOVAKIA. The ministers of
transportation of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria,
Hungary, and Slovenia met in Bratislava on 15 September to discuss
the protection of environment, safety in transportation, and other
issues. The chief adviser of the European Union Commission for
Transportation, Ottakar Hahn, said Slovakia was currently "taking
serious steps aimed at harmonizing its transportation policy with
recommendations of the European Union" and that Slovakia could
become "a key country in connecting the North and the South as
well as the East and the West of Europe." Hahn said that the
question of border crossings remained the main point of
contention, but that the EU was willing to offer financial
assistance to solve such problems. Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.
CONSUMER PRICES IN HUNGARY. According to data released by the
Central Statistical Office on 15 September, the Hungarian consumer
price index rose by 1.4% in August compared with July, bringing
the annual price rise to 19.5%, MTI reports. By comparison, in
August 1993 consumer prices rose by 1.8% and the yearly price rise
amounted to 22.3%. Prices rose above average in August 1994 as the
price of food increased by 24.5%, the cost of services rose by
20.7%, alcoholic beverage and tobacco prices grew by 19.9%,
household energy prices rose by 11.3%, and the price of durable
consumer goods increased by 12.1%. A four-member household now
needs 53,800 forint (about $580) a month to meet the minimum
standard of living, compared to 45,000 forint in 1993. Edith
Oltay, RFE/RL Inc.
HUNGARY'S COMPENSATION PROGRAM. According to the Office of
Compensation, 1,507,438 Hungarians received some form of
compensation under the country's compensation program for victims
of property expropriation and political oppression, MTI reports.
The value of the compensation vouchers the office issued thus far
exceeds 110 billion forint. Under the first law on compensation
over 817,000 people received vouchers and an average of 67,000
forint pro person. The law on property compensation granted some
75,000 people vouchers worth 10.5 billion forint with each person
receiving an average of 139,000 forint. Vouchers in the value of
44 billion forint were issued to 177,482 persons who had been
deprived of their freedom under communism with each person
receiving an average of 247,000 forint. Edith Oltay, RFE/RL Inc.
CHANGES AT HUNGARIAN RADIO. Radio chief Janos Sziranyi told a
press conference on 15 September that in the past two months the
129 radio employees who had been fired by the previous management
had been rehired, MTI reports. He announced that the radio will
institute program changes effective 3 October. At that time,
several programs terminated by the previous management will be
restarted, and the number of programs dealing with everyday
problems and sociological studies increased. Radio Kossuth will
continue to serve as the major news station, Radio Petofi will
continue to focus on entertainment, and Radio Bartok on classical
music programs. Edith Oltay, RFE/RL Inc.
ROMANIAN PRESIDENT REJECTS SELF-RULE FOR ETHNIC MINORITIES. In an
apparent reference to Romania's large Hungarian minority,
President Ion Iliescu said on 15 September that territorial
autonomy for ethnic groups in Romania could threaten national and
regional security. He added that the "adventurous projects to
create enclaves and autonomous regions . . . could only aggravate
inter-ethnic problems." Iliescu's remarks came in his address to a
two-day international conference devoted to "Central Europe and
Its National Minorities" held in Bucharest. The conference is
attended by high-ranking Romanian officials, including Foreign
Minister Teodor Melescanu, Chamber of Deputies Chairman Adrian
Nastase and Senate Chairman Oliviu Gherman, as well as by
parliamentarians from European countries and representatives of
the Council of Europe. Last month, leaders of the Hungarian
Democratic Federation of Romania called again for a special status
for the regions of Covasna and Harghita, where compact Magyar
populations live. Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL Inc.
[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Eileen Downing and Maggie Evling
Copyright 1994, RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
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Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
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