Hungary's efforts to promote Roma integration in society and a European Union proposal to set a quota for women in listed companies' boards were among the topics discussed at a meeting between Minister for Human Resources Zoltan Balog and EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding in Brussels on Monday.

Minister Balog said that Commissioner Reding had expressed her appreciation of Hungary's efforts to improve the situation of Roma and the country's public employment programme.

"In the past, there had been attempts to present this to the European public as some form of a labour camp, but now it is highlighted in our country report as a positive example," he added.

Commissioner Reding also welcomed plans to teach the history of the Roma in Hungarian schools in order to help different ethnic groups better understand each other, he said.

Commenting on the EU proposal to force listed companies to reserve at least 40 per cent of their non-executive director board seats for women by 2020, the minister stated that it was not acceptable to regulate this at EU level. Minister Balog was one of nine European ministers who have also written to the European Commission that this issue should be regulated at the level of member countries instead.
He said Commissioner Reding has told him that the Commission prepared a new document that would clear concerns, adding that Hungary would prepare its response after studying this document.

"The positions are still not very close to each other when it comes to setting a quota," he stated, emphasising that it was important to remove obstacles from women entering jobs and making sure that women and men get the same payment for doing the same job.

(Ministry of Human Resources)