Zsolt László Becsey (PPE-DE). – (HU) During recent months, a climate of fear has reigned again in Vojvodina in northern Serbia among the several nationalities which live there, mainly Hungarians. Although our Parliament adopted in both 2004 and 2005 a resolution in response to the physical and psychological attacks carried out against non-Serb inhabitants of this area and also took the exemplary action of sending a fact-finding delegation to the area in 2005, incidences of violence, intimidation and humiliation against the minorities living there, primarily Hungarians, are not only continuing, but seem to be getting worse.

Since the start of the year, a total of fifteen psychological and five physical attacks have been carried out, two of them serious. Unfortunately, there is little confidence in the police. This is supported by the fact that in the case of ethnic attacks, so far none of the sentences passed have actually been enforced, which indicates the inadequate operation, and, unfortunately, based on many years’ experience, the lenient attitude of the judiciary. This is also supported by the fact that the Serbian majority cannot acknowledge even now that we must also remember many tens of thousands of people executed without any verdict and individual guilt.

For how much longer can the European Union put up with indigenous inhabitants speaking a European language being terrorised physically and psychologically by a prospective Member State at the start of the 21st century? Do we not even have the least concern for our reputation?