ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the implementation of national minority rights with regard to minority languages and cultures, local self-government and national representation. Officially denied as a consideration during the drafting and codification of 1993 National and Ethnic Minority Rights Act, the need to maintain the 'moral right' to 'demand' adequate treatment for this group was an influence on the policy-making process. The Act's educational provisions also reflect the emphasis on the right to a national or ethnic identity and to protection against assimilation as well as the more general special needs of minority children. Hungarian anti-discrimination legislation is similar to that of most other European legal systems. There is no separate code exclusively devoted to antidiscrimination; instead, it is dealt with separately within the constitution, and the criminal, civil and labour codes, among others. The parliamentary representation of national and ethnic minorities flows directly from the text of the supreme law, Article 20(1) of Minority Rights Act promises the same.
