Minorities have most to loose from crisis

Angela Kocze, 40, is one of Hungary’s most outspoken Roma rights advocates. Born in a poor, rural Hungarian village, she is herself a Roma and put herself through school, first by working in a factory and then winning a university scholarship.  In a country where only 0.2% of Roma people go to college, Kocze’s story is the exception to the rule.  A degree in human rights and ethnic and minority studies and an interest in gender identity took her to becoming the first executive director of the European Roma Information Office (ERIO), an NGO lobbying EU institutions. She is also the former director of the human rights education programme at the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC).

At the moment she is primarily a researcher and finishing a PhD investigating the intersectionality between gender, ethnicity and class of Romani women as well as their political participation in Europe. 

How has the economic crisis hit Hungary?

Economically speaking, the situation for NGOs is very fragile here and civil society has been hit harder than any other sector. After Hungary joined the EU in May 2004, a lot of structural funds became available for NGOs but Hungarian laws prevented these funds from making a real impact on most NGOs. Here the money is allocated only afterwards, so NGOs have to front all of the costs of any new projects first. Many organizations including the Romani ones I work with find this prohibitive. At the same time, the few philanthropic organizations that exist here, like the Open Society Institute, have been less willing to invest in local NGOs since Hungary became part of Europe. Of course Roma people will be most affected economically and socially.

Jobbik, Hungary’s far right party, hit the headlines in April when it won 16.7% of votes during the general elections. Is there the risk that hard times will add fire to existing ethnic tensions?

Yes. Jobbik have very popularist thoughts and use fear to leaver support. They have a military-style guard, use fascist symbols and march in the streets making it hard not to think back to the 30s when the depression paved the way for the German Nazi socialists. Obviously things are different now, we have the European Union and international organisations but the rhetoric Jobbik uses is quite scary. The Roma people have become their scapegoat – a rather simplistic idea, but people are buying in to it.

What can NGOs and institutions do?

NGOs are trying to raise awareness surrounding the danger of these kinds of ideas but I am afraid that we are weak. The percentage of votes gained by the Jobbik party to enter the Hungarian Parliament is quite significant making them the third largest party. People have voted them in democratically so their political populist claim becomes legitimised by national elections. At the same time they have the power to influence laws and are active stakeholders in democracy.

Minorities are one of the 2010 European year for combating poverty and social exclusion’s key priorities. Do you expect any positive outcomes for the Roma?

This year won’t make a big difference to Roma people’s social and economic status in Hungary. The main activity has been producing publications, some media events and campaigns but no real projects. But the real issue is that not all Roma people have access to structural funds, mainly because organizations working to promote their cause don’t have the human or financial resources to apply. Having said this, the language of the EU, compared to that of national States, is much more progressive and the EU could really be be a vehicle to generate changes in the Roma community.

What challenges will the Hungarian non profit sector face in the next five years?

NGOs in Hungary have no core funding to run their offices and sustain their existence and operate on a project to project basis.  This really is the main challenge.

Can you see anything positive coming from the economic crisis?

I think there is something positive: people are more conscious about poverty. For example, I now work in the north of Hungary, an underdeveloped area where I founded a Roma NGO run by Roma women. Unfortunately it was recently flooded by a river and we received an unprecedented amount of clothes, furniture and other material donations. The cities have been scared by the crisis and as a result, more charitable.