A/HRC/20/33/Add.1 regulation in 2010 which prescribes that in addition to the 200 parliamentary representatives, a maximum of 13 representatives can be elected to ensure the parliamentary representation of national and ethnic minorities.8 The new electoral law is expected to be implemented during the national elections scheduled for 2014. Furthermore, the Government indicated that individuals belonging to minorities have been members of the National Assembly for decades as representatives of the various political parties and that delegates of the 13 national minority self-governments can participate actively in the work of the minority committees and other committees in the Parliament.9 However NGO representatives argued that the current situation is not adequate to ensure the proper representation of minority interests at the national level and that a specific mechanism for their representation in the Parliament is needed. B. The situation of the Roma minority 1. Key measures adopted by the Government 29. The situation of Roma, who represent the largest minority group in Hungary, was more often raised by the different interlocutors in comparison with the 12 other Hungarian national and ethnic minorities. All the Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors, including Government officials and civil society representatives, agreed that the situation of Roma individuals had not improved in recent years, but rather worsened. The problems faced by the Roma minority have been addressed by the previous 10 and current Government from the wide perspective of economically and socially disadvantaged groups. A policy was confirmed by the Minister of State for Social Inclusion during a meeting with the Special Rapporteur. According to the authorities Roma mainly face economic and social difficulties that have their origins both in the collapse of the Communist regime, when the majority of Roma lost their jobs, and the current economic situation. The authorities do not consider it to be primarily a matter of racial discrimination or racial prejudice as such. Civil society interlocutors tended to argue that the current problems experienced by Roma are due to racism, racial discrimination and deeply rooted negative stereotypes against Roma. 30. Key legal, policy, and institutional measures were initiated and implemented by the Government with regard to Roma. The Special Rapporteur welcomes in particular the adoption in 2007 by the parliament of the resolution on the Decade of Roma Inclusion Programme Strategic Plan for 2007-2015, which sets a framework for action to improve Roma access to education, employment, housing and health care; the development and adoption of the European Union framework for national Roma integration strategies under the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2011; the National Social Inclusion Strategy “Extreme Poverty, Child Poverty and the Roma” for 2011-2020 set up as part of the implementation of the European Union Framework for National Strategies for Roma Integration; and the Framework Agreement between the Government and the National Roma Self-Government drawn up in the course of the mission. 31. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to implement these policies fully, especially the National Social Inclusion Strategy “Extreme Poverty, Child Poverty and the Roma” for 2011-2020. In particular, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government ensure the effective involvement of all the relevant actors, including Roma, in the development and implementation of the National Social Inclusion Strategy and ensure 8 9 10 10 A/HRC/WG.6/11/HUN/1, para. 86. A/HRC/WG.6/11/HUN/1, para. 85. E/CN.4/2000/16/Add.1, para. 104; A/HRC/4/9/Add.2, para. 31.