Demszky (ALDE) . – (HU) As the atrocities against the Vojvodina Hungarian minorities have continued these past few weeks and politicians of Hungarian origin are being insulted and threatened and people are beaten up purely because they are not members of the majority group, it is our duty to raise our voices against these violations of law. Our emphatic intervention is also required because, in the last year and a half, neither the Serb Government nor the local authorities have done anything to restore law and order and failed to protect fundamental human rights.

We do not know of a single incident where a person in breach of the law has been called to account. I find it particularly serious that the local police force is not only turning a cynical blind eye to the beatings of Hungarians, but also actively takes part in these atrocities. As a mayor, I would like to express my particular solidarity with the Mayor of Padej, Laszlo Komárom who was twice slapped in the face by a police superintendent. In a situation like this it is our duty to condemn the apathy and complicity of the Serb authorities. At the same time we must warn the government of Serbia and Montenegro that by tolerating, and even encouraging the atrocities, they will make it impossible for the country to draw near to the European Union.

(Applause)