OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 137, 17 July 1996

HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BRIEFS VAN DEN BROEK ON "AUTONOMY" DEBATE.
Laszlo Kovacs, meeting with EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek in
Brussels on 16 July, reiterated that the recent declaration
supporting autonomy for Magyar minorities abroad (see OMRI Daily
Digest, 9 July 1996) is in line with existing European norms,
Hungarian media reported. Van den Broek was quoted as saying that
while he is not familiar with the details of the document, he is
convinced that the Hungarian government is pursuing a policy in full
harmony with European legislation and practices. Kovacs told a
Brussels press conference that Hungary is working on a detailed
answer to sharp criticism from the Slovak and Romanian Foreign
Ministries. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

HUNGARIAN TRADE UNIONS WARN AGAINST PLANNED PERSONNEL CUTS IN
EDUCATION. Student and university employee unions on 16 July
threatened to stage demonstrations and delay the start of the next
academic year if the government does not withdraw its plans to
dismiss 4,500 teachers, researchers, and other employees at
institutes of higher education in 1997, Hungarian dailies reported.
Union leaders condemned the government's failure to allocate the
necessary funds for the education sector as well as its plans to
dismiss personnel as a money-saving measure. Officials also pointed
out that while only $40 was spent on one college student in Hungary,
the average in OECD countries is six times higher. In other news,
unions representing public service employees on 16 July raised the
possibility of a general strike in September unless the government
makes good on its pledge to retroactively raise wages by 10% as of 1
July. -- Zsofia Szilagyi