AUR proposal to rename Bálványos resort sparks debate in Parliament

A legislative proposal from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) to rename the Bálványos resort in Covasna County to “Bălvăniș” triggered a volatile debate in the Chamber of Deputies on Monday.

Legislative Conflict Over Regional Identity

The proposed name change aims to replace the Hungarian-origin name “Bálványos” with a Romanian-language variant, “Bălvăniș.” AUR deputy Dan Tănasă, who introduced the bill, argued that the current name is exclusive to the Hungarian language and that the change is supported by an official address from the Romanian Academy. The project, which was initially submitted by eight AUR senators in 2024, has already been rejected by the Senate and reached the Chamber of Deputies with a report of rejection from the Committee for Public Administration and Territorial Planning. Tănasă contended that the administrative system must reflect the official state language, asserting that in Romania, whoever supports anything other than the Romanian language is an ordinary traitor to the country.

UDMR Response to Nationalist Rhetoric

Representatives from the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) condemned the proposal as a nationalist effort to erase the historical identity of the Hungarian minority in Transylvania. Zoltán further highlighted that the name originates from the Bálványos Fortress, one of the oldest fortifications in Transylvania, documented since 1311.

Csoma Botond, the leader of the UDMR deputies, addressed Tănasă directly, dismissing the conflict as baseless. He stated that the dual use of the name in Hungarian and Romanian does not pose a problem for the community. Csoma Botond a încheiat dezbaterile din Camera Deputaților adresându-i-se lui Dan Tănasă cu o vorbă din Ardeal: „Foaie verde ananas, papagal ai fost, papagal ai rămas”.

USR and PNL Deputies Oppose AUR Proposal

The debate extended beyond the primary sponsors and the UDMR. Emanuel Ungureanu, representing the USR, mocked the AUR proposal by highlighting the linguistic history of Romanian, noting that many common words such as “bocanc” (boot) and “oraș” (city) have Hungarian origins. Meanwhile, PNL deputy Gheorghe Andrei-Daniel intervened to state that nationalism is completely foreign to chauvinism. The session also saw heated exchanges between Tănasă and various deputies, including Szabó Ödön of the UDMR, who accused the AUR representative of being an ordinary chauvinist.

Tănasă defended his position by comparing the resort to other Transylvanian locations, noting, That is why it is called Sfântu Gheorghe and not Sepsiszentgyorgy. The project currently holds a report of rejection from the Committee for Public Administration and Territorial Planning. As the legislative session approaches its final vote on Wednesday, the debate highlights the ongoing friction regarding the management of cultural identity and administrative naming conventions in Transylvania.