FUEN President Loránt Vincze participated in the meeting of the Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages of the European Parliament (Minority Intergroup) in Strasbourg today. The newly elected President of FUEN was greeted and congratulated by co-chairwoman Kinga Gál (EPP): “We are happy to have a direct connection with FUEN and I hope that we shall have fruitful contacts with this organisation.”

“It is a great honour for me to represent FUEN as president. It is also a huge responsibility that I became the leader of the oldest, most renowned and biggest umbrella organisation of the European autochthonous minorities.” - said Loránt Vincze, who also emphasised that FUEN is making itself heard as a united voice when addressing the EU and the European institutions in the name of all the 93 member organisations from 32 European states, which are confronted with a wide range of specific problems.

 “We ask the Council of Europe the sanction the delay of states report and the failure to implement the Framework Convention and Language Charter”, the new President declared of FUEN declared. “We also urge the EU to create a legal basis for the protection of the autochthonous minorities.” President Vincze believes that this is a goal the European minorities share with the members of the Minority Intergroup. Therefore he suggested to build up a strategic partnership in order to initiate the creation of new EU tools able to protect Europe’s cultural and language heritage. Vincze closed his speech with the following words: “We offer our help, our network and our expertise to this Intergroup. I thank you for your constant support and partnership.”

Photos: © European Union 2016
Source: European Parliament