1988. április (71-108. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
i', «HUflGARM*Í^OCTOBSR.» 1 ©nfiml . Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) 96/1988 (E) 23rd April, 1988 ; Environmcntr-list Union is Formed Within The Peoples Patriotic Front The forraation of the Hungárián Environmentalist Union in the reading room of the Hungárián Acaaemy of Sciences on Friday afternoon - April 22nd - vas reported on Hungárián Television and Rádió that evening and in the nevspapers on the following day. Dr. Ferenc Antóni is the president of the organising committee, he vas the principle of the Medical School’s Biochemistry Institute, and Imre V. Nagy, a univ- ersity lecturer presided over the statutory meeting. Nagy said that there are more than 700 environmentalist clubs and groups operating in Hungary and that the new national unión vas formed within the Peoples Patriotic Front to synchronize their ^ activities. In the Friday meeting about 200 invited participants voted on the constitution and chose the unión’s executive committee and the president - Dr. Ferenc Antóni. In recent years environmentalism has provoked increasing public interest in Hungary and it has had its own ministry fór quite a while. The independent environmentalists who originated the movement and have pút up a persistent fight - primarily the Friends of the Danube - have tried to form a unión many times bút their plans have always failed because of strong resistance from the authorities. At the beginning of 198^. they wanted to form the "Danube Land Protection Union" bút the National Environment and Natúré Conservation Office postponed its permission until György Gonda/its president at the time; had retired. Hovever the Office’s név president Dr. Kálmán Abrahám - who is nov Secretary of State fór the Environment - prohibited the establishment of the "Danube Environment Union" las£ year. In spite of this the ecologists announced their proposals at club and circle meetings and sent letters and petitions to the authorities. They demanded a national election on the construction of the Bős-Nagymaros hydro-electric plánt and collected more than 10 000 signatures protesting againsffBnvironmentally damaging plán. Finally they held a conference last month organised by the Eötvös Lorand University Ecology Club - vith many circles and clubs participating - to establish a netvork vhich sychro- nized their work and to launch their magaziné "Survival". $ Unlike the independent movement the nevly formed national unión vas given a free hand, permission fór its enterprenurial activities vas aquired easily. The unión has shown signs of nőt wishing to help the independents. The organising committee j: did nőt take advantage of the support offered by the Ecology Club and it did nőt consider any of the Club’s proposals. The statutory meeting vas held in unusual circumstances. Although the constitution plán states that representatives of clubs and circles have the right to vote individuals were invited who were chosen before- hand and of the 200 invited there were only six independent environmentalists. The numbered invitations were addressed to particular people and could nőt be trans- ferred and people were double checked as they entered and anyone nőt in possession of a valid invitation vas roughly turnéd away. The constitution plán stipulated a leadership re-election every five years and a meeting of delegates every three years bút this vas reduced to three tyears and one and a half years in the meeting. Hovever those who became members of the prés- j; idency and the executive committee were nőt delegates from environmental circles bút chosen from above. Dr Ferenc Antóni’s - later to be elected president - proposal to make the elected leadership a temporary body vhich only remains in office fór a year vas nőt taken up by' the*;president of the meetiijg. Subacribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in dctail as leng as the source is acknowledged.
