Bela K. Kiraly: The Hungarian Minority's Situation in Ceausescu's Romania

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on the establishment of uniform ru1es of organization in educational institutions.

The State Council of the Socialist Republic of Romania decrees:

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II. Compulsory primary education

Compulsory primaly education is delivered through primaly schools controlled by the people's councils.

Primary schools shall be organized as follows:

- Schools with grades 1-8 are to be opened in localities where the - number of students to be enrolled in grade 5 is at least 25; - Schools with grades 1-10 are to be opened in localities where the - number of students to be enrolled in grade 9 is at least 25. - In isolated localities where primary schools with 8 or 10 grades cannot be organized, schools with grades 14 shall be organized if there are at 1east 7 children of an age appropriate to these classes.

In those communities with schools teaching in the languages of cohabiting nationalities, sections or classes taught in Rumanian shall be organized, irrespective of the number of students.

Dormitories, day-care centers, or canteens associated with the primary schools may be organized for at least 50 students. In justified cases (isolated loca1ities with few children, long distances, or other special circumstances), the Ministry of Public Education may sanction the estab1ishment of dormitories, day-care centres, or canteens for 1ess than the above requiled number of students.

III. ,Secondary education and technical-vocational trainin

G Secondary education and technical-vocational training are provided by general secondary schools, vocational schools, trade schools, and postsecondary schools which, depending on the circumstances, are controlled by the people's councils, the mininistries, other central organs or industrial centres, and which may function independently or within a school complex comprising at least two educational establishments.

Secondary school and technical-vocational training establishments may be organized with at least two classes in the first year of their operation.

The number of students per class shall be 36 on the average. The Ministry of Public Education rnay exceptionally consent to the operation of certain classes with at least 25 students each in the last two school years.

In secondary schools with instruction in the language of cohabiting nationalities, sections or classes taught in Romanian shall be organized, irrespective of the number of students.

In the interest of providing necessary conditions of board and lodging, dormitories and daycare centers with cauneens may be organized for at least 100 students. In well justified cases, the Ministry of Public Education rmy sanction the maintemnce of certain residence halls, daycare centres or canteens for less thall the required number of students.

Buchrest, May 13, 1973 (signed) Nicolae Ceausescu President of the Socialist Republic of Romania

(Source. Monitorul Oficial, Vol. IX. No. 67. Part 1. May l3, l973)

on the provision of lodging for foreigners temporarily staying in Romania.

The State Council of the Socialist Republic of Romania decrees:

Art. 1. In order to provide foreigners temporarily staying in Romania as tourists or for any other purpose with the most appropriate housing conditions possible, the persons concerned shall be accomodated in hotels, motels, campsites and hostels, as well as in any other lodgings belonging to the dwelling fund administered by socialist organizations.

Lodgings differing in function from the apartments required by foreigners temporarily residing in Romania or by foreign juristic persons shall be allocated out of the dwelling fund administered by socialist organizations.

In the case of the lodgings mentioned in paragraph 1 and 2 above, the leases are contracted by tourist offices or the interested socialist organizations.

Art. 2. Natural persons domiciled in Romania are forbidden to accomodate such foreigners mentioned in Article 1, whether in the form of lease, sublease or the entertaining of guests, or to make places available to them for portable shelter.

Mature persons domiciled in Romania can provide lodgings in the living unit owned by them only to visiting foreigners who are close relatives, i.e., spouses, children, parents, and siblings, along with their spouses and children.

Art. 3. If contracted earlier with foreigners temporarily staying in Romania or with foreign juristic persons, the leases and subleases of living units owned by natural persons domiciled in Romania shall expire within 3 months from the date of promulgation of the present law-decree.

The executive committees of people's councils of counties and the municipality of Bucharest, in conjunction with the ministries and other central organs concerned, shall take measures for finding appropriate lodgings in hotels or other buildings under the management of socialist organizations, with a view to leasing them to foreign juristic and natural persons whose lease expires pursuant to the provision of paragraph 1 of this article.

Art. 4. Infingement of the provisions of Article 2, unless the act has been committed under circumstances qualifying it as a crime according to the law, constitutes a misdemeanor and shall be punished with a fine of 5,000 to 15,000 lei.

Misdemeanors shall be determined by agents of the executive committees of people's councils, by officers and junior officers of the Ministry of Interior, who shall levy the fine.

In the case of misdemeanors defined in paragraph I, the provisions of Act 32/1968 on the determination and punishment of misdemeanors shall be applied.

Art. 5. The provisions of Article 17 of Act 5/1973 on the management of the dwelling fund and on the regulation of the relationship between owner and lessee, promulgated in Part I of Monitorul Oficial No.47. dated March 31, 1973, furthermore the provisions of cabinet decision No. 862/1967 on the lease and sublease of certain lodgings in the possession of citizens for the accomodation of tourists, promulgated in Part 1 of Monitorul Oficial No. 34. dated April 20, 1967, as well as all other regulations running counter to the present law decree shall cease to have effect.

Bucharest, December 6, 1974. (signed) Nicolae Ceausescu Presidentof the Socialist Republic of Romania

(Source: Monitorul Oficial, Vol. X. No. 154, Part I, December 9, 1974.)

modifying certain provisions of law-decree No. 184/1974 of the State Council on a surcharge applicable to the purchase and sale of foreign currency in connection with non-commmercial operations, and of Law-decree No. 225/1974 of the State Council on the provision of lodging to foreigners temporarily staying in Romania.

The State Council of the Socialist Republic of Romania decrees:

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IV. Article 2 of Law-decree No. 225/1974 of the State Council, transmuted into Act 89/1974, on the provision of lodging to foreigners temporarily staying in Romania is to be supplemented by the following text constituting Articles 3 and 4:

Accomodation may similarly be provided by any relatives domiciled in Romania:

(a) to persons of Romanian national origin who have acquired foreign citizenship or are stateless;

(b) to persons who have settled abroad and no longer have valid Romanian passports, but who have not renounced their Romanian citizenship;

(c) to spouses and kinfolk defined in paragraph 2 of the persons mentioned in subparagraphs (a) and (b) above. Exceptionally, with the consent of the Ministry of Interior, accomodation may also be provided to other foreigners of Romanian descent.

Bucharest, November 8, l976. (signed) Nicolae Ceausescu President of the Socialist Republic of Romania

(Source: Monitorul Oficial, Vol. XII. No. 96, Part I, November 9, 1976)

on the liability of persons who apply for permission to settle definitively abroad, and whose request has been granted, to repay in full debts owed to the state, to socialist organizations, and to natural persons, and to refund certain expenses inctcurred by the state in connection with their education.

Pursuant to the general political programme of party and state aimed at steadily raising the living standards of the entire population, considerable funds are allocated for the purpose of guaranteeing citizens of the country free education at all levels, free medical treatment, and a comprehensive system of social security and social welfare services.

With a view to having these expenditures refunded in accordance with the principles of socialist ethics and equity, it is necessary that persons permanently leaving the country compensate society for its outlays expended in the interest of their education and professional training, as well as for other services utilized prior to leaving the country

For this purpose the State Council of the Socialist Republic of Romeulia decrees

Art. 1. Persons requesting and obtaining pennission to settle abroad permianently are responsible for the repayment of all debts owed to the state, to all social institutions and other organizations.

Art. 2. Those persons who have obtained permission to settle abroad must repay the Romanian state for their high school, college or university

education in convertible currency. They are also liable for their studies toward the doctorate or other professional training for which they have received scholarship support or incurred other debts.

The debt owed will be determined on the basis of the laws of the Romanian Socialist Republic which regulate the tuition expenses of foreign students.

The present article is not applicable to those persons who have fulfilled their employment responsibilities and are of retirement age at the time when permission is granted for their settlement abroad.

Art. 3. The payment of these debts to the Romanian state, social institutions, as well as child support and other such responsibilities owed to natural persons, as well as all debts owed for education, professional training and on the job instruction, must be paid in full between the time that permssion is granted for emigration and the issuance of a passport.

Art. 4. The persons belonging to the category mentioned in article 1, from the moment they receive permission to leave to the actual time of their departure, must pay all their medical expenses in convertible currency and are subject to costs and prices determined for tourists, and any other fees spelled out by the law of the Romanian Socialist Republic which regulate the stay of the foreigners who do not have established resident status in the country.

Art. 5. The properties, buildings and other real estate, belonging to persons who are leaving the country pemanently, legally become the property of the state.

Art. 6. Those who have been granted permission to settle abroad permanently must also relinguish their art treasures and cultural possessions. They must turn these cultural possessions over to the state on the basis of the valuation established by the state,s Centrai Committee on Natiotial Cultural Treasures.

Art. 7. Those persons who leave the country illegally, or those who travel abroad and do not retum to the country by the required time limit, will have their properties confiscated by the state to assure paymet for their education, professional preparation and the expenses of their job training. The legal seizure extends to both domestic and foreign properties owned, up to the limit owed the state.

Art. 8. The reimbursement for state expenditures mentioned in articles 2 and 4, including scholarships, as well as fees and other state incured expenses, must be paid by convertible currency either by bank transfer of funds or in person, in cash or by check.

Bucharest, November 1, 1982. (signed) Nicolae Ceausescu Presidentof the Socialist Republic of Romania

(Source: Monitorul Oficial, Vol. XVII, No. 95, Part I, November 1, 1982)

Bela K. Kiraly: The Hungarian Minority's Situation in Ceausescu's Romania