Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary writes to the head of the Austrian Ombudsman's Office about the closure of the road between Somfalva and Ágfalva - AJBH-EN
Dr. Ernő Kállai
Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Ernő KÁLLAI, Deputy-Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, responsible for the Rights of Nationalities
Studies
2008 Ph.D. degree in legal theory and legal sociology at the Deák Ferenc Doctoral School of Law and Political Sciences, University of Miskolc
1997 - 2002 Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law and Political Sciences - lawyer
1994 - 1998 Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Arts - secondary school teacher of history
1990 - 1994 Eszterházy Károly Teacher Training College - teacher specialised in history and music
1994 - 1995 Journalism School - certified journalist
1995 Hungarian Radio - news editor and radio journalist
Employment
2010 Eszterházy Károly College, Faculty of Teacher Training and Knowledge Technology - head of department
2009 University of Debrecen, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Department of Constitutional Law - guest professor
2008 Corvinus University of Budapest, Post-graduate specialist training programme in equality and minority issues - mentor and guest professor
2007 Parliamentary Commissioner for National and Ethnic Minority Rights
2002 - 2010 Apor Vilmos Catholic College, Institute of Romology and Applied Social Sciences - head of institute, college professor
1998 Hungarian Academy of Sciences Ethnic and National Minority Research Institute - Head of research group on Romology
1999 - 2002 Miskolc University, Department of Sociology, professor
1996 - 1998 member of staff of the Roma Civil Rights Foundation
1988 - 1997 teacher at various educational institutions
Scholarships
2000 - 2002 Civic Education Project
1997 - 1999 Soros Foundation
1998 - 2002 European Roma Rights Centre
1997 - 1999 Roma Civil Rights Foundation, „Invisible College" for Roma students
Public and professional activities
2007 - Member of the Equal Treatment Professional Advisory Board
2002- 2005 Member of the board of trustees of the Autonomy Foundation
1998- 2004 Member of the board of trustees of the Gandhi Public Foundation
Membership of professional organisations
Hungarian Sociological Society - member of the Presidential Board
Hungarian Academy of Science - member of the Public Body
Hungarian Association of Lawyers
Hungarian Society of Political Sciences
Hungarian Ethnographical Society
Awards
2006 Award for Minorities
2005 honoured by the National Gypsy Self-Government for excellence in research
Main areas of research using empirical data survey in the past years
- Emergence of cultural rights of the minority communities'
- The new paradigms of handling of ethnic data
- Roma entrepreneurs in Hungary
- Research on local Gypsy minority self-governments
- The past and present of Gypsy musicians
- The social history of the Hungarian Roma in the 20th century
- Equal opportunities of Roma in Hungary. Self-governance, positive discrimination, and the role of education in improving the situation of the Roma - theoretical and practical models
- The theoretical models and practice in Hungary of local Gypsy minority self-governments
- The cultural autonomy of minorities
Press releases
null Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary writes to the head of the Austrian Ombudsman's Office about the closure of the road between Somfalva and Ágfalva
Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary writes to the head of the Austrian Ombudsman's Office about the closure of the road between Somfalva and Ágfalva
They complained that local council of Somfalva in Austria had closed the road -built with EU co-financing- connecting the village to Ágfalva on the Hungarian side of the border first in January 2023 in the morning and evening hours, preventing Hungarian residents from travelling to work in Austria by car. Since 1 March 2023 the road has been fully blocked because of construction works.
After 1 July 2023, local council of Somfalva decided to allow the use of the road only on the basis of individual requests, with the introduction of further restrictions by making the use of the road subject to the payment of a predetermined fee.
In view of the fact that the measures restricting the entry of Hungarian citizens into Austria risk violating the fundamental right to free movement of persons and labor, Dr. Ákos Kozma asked Gaby Schwarz, head of the Austrian Ombudsman's Office, whether, when and to what extent the Austrian Ombudsman's Office had taken action against the measures already introduced and planned to be introduced by Somfalva, and whether the Austrian Ombudsman's Office had taken any measures to prevent the entry of Hungarian citizens into Austria.
If there is no such examination has been started, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary will open an inquiry with the Austrian Ombudsman.
Dr. Ákos Kozma asked his Austrian counterpart to help find a solution that would be satisfactory for the citizens of both states.