Word: napoca
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Dates: during 2002-2002
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Hajnal Varga, 43, an office manager in the Romanian university town of Cluj-Napoca, isn't complaining though. In the bad old days of communism, Romanian authorities discouraged the use of the Hungarian language in public and banned broadcasts of Hungarian media - even though a quarter of the town's population is ethnic Hungarian. Varga recalls hauling her family's black-and-white TV up a nearby hillside to pick up Hungarian football matches from across the border 150 km away. Last week Varga submitted her application for a Hungarian status card, which resembles a passport with a stylized crown...
...order to get cards. Despite its popularity, the law has drawn fire from officials in some neighboring countries, who argue that it violates their sovereignty and discriminates against non-ethnic Hungarians. "This law is part of an attempt to reclaim old territories," says Gheorghe Funar, the mayor of Cluj-Napoca, whose civic initiatives include banning bilingual signs and painting everything from park benches to flagpoles in Romanian red, blue and yellow. "They will be defeated if they...
...block the law unless some of the benefits, such as facilitated work permits, were extended to all Romanian citizens - a concession that Hungary, under pressure, agreed to make. Still, local officials like Mayor Funar have threatened to fire civil servants who apply for the cards. Ordinary residents of Cluj-Napoca are also also worried. "It's like a fence that is being put up between two neighbors," frets Marinella Oancea, 54, a travel agent. "It's a provocation...
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