A/HRC/18/17 8. The delegation informed about Hungary’s willingness to accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OP-CAT) as a part of its pledges to the Human Rights Council as well as about the Government’s steps to prepare this ratification. 9. Hungary supported the preservation and further development of cultural rights and values of the13 national and ethnic minorities recognized in the country and strived to broaden the cultural autonomy of the minorities by providing the necessary legal, institutional and budgetary framework. Minority self-governments were entitled to have minority-run and State-subsidized institutions. 10. Since the establishment of a democratic system, Hungary had been addressing the special situation of the Roma through laws and other measures to improve their socioeconomic situation, while remaining committed to the elimination of discrimination against them. At the same time the delegation acknowledged that the situation of the Roma and other socially disadvantaged groups had not significantly improved but rather had worsened, especially in the area of employment. Hungary joined the Roma Decade Programme and was in the process of developing a Roma Programme for implementation. 11. Hungary had taken measures and implemented several programmes that covered 1,800 education institutions, were supported by a budget of about US$ 40 million and aimed, inter alia, to fight segregation, ensure access to quality and inclusive education and decrease school dropout. 12. In 2008, Hungary launched a development programme for the 33 most disadvantaged micro-regions with a budget of US$ 545 million to remedy deficiencies in its social and economic infrastructure and improve the quality of local services. Regarding employment issues, the delegation reported on the provision of training programmes and access to professional consulting services and information about potential employers for those seeking employment. To end segregation, in the period of 2005-2009 Hungary implemented settlement programmes with a budget of about US$ 20 million, which resulted in the improvement of living conditions for hundreds of families. 13. In recent years, extremist groups had re-emerged with a demand to maintain public order in Roma-populated areas, resulting in social and ethnic unrest. Among several steps taken to address the situation, Hungary amended the relevant legislation to effectively prosecute and punish these extremist groups. 14. Hungary guaranteed the enjoyment of human rights in the field of health care and provided a legal basis for the protection of the dignity, autonomy and rights of patients. To guarantee the rights of women, the legislation provided a possibility for women to give birth outside the hospital system by legally setting necessary requirements and conditions. 15. In 2007, the Parliament accepted the “Let it be better for the children” – National strategy 2007-2032 with the goal of decreasing child poverty and improving opportunities for children. 16. In 2010, Hungary adopted the Media Law to replace the Media Act. The Government had worked, inter alia, with United Nations Special Rapporteurs on this issue and incorporated suggestions for amendments made by the European Commission. The delegation noted that this media regulation provided a balance between freedom of expression and other relevant fundamental rights. At the same time, Hungary welcomed the initiative to hold a general debate on the role of the European Union in the area of media regulation and, as part of this debate, every regulation in EU member States would be reviewed in order to correct the deficiencies of the normative framework on the media. 17. As to the issue of the independence and impartiality of the Media Council, the delegation explained that a number of legal guarantees existed to ensure its independence, including the fact that the Council was comprised of professionals elected by a two-thirds 4