Online Meeting of the FUEN Project “Minorities in the Western Balkans”

On 19th December, an online meeting was held on the initiative of FUEN as part of the project “Minorities in the Western Balkans”. The meeting brought together FUEN representatives and members of numerous minority organisations from the Western Balkans to prepare for a conference planned for early 2025 in Skopje (North Macedonia).

The conference will be organised by our member organisations and partners from North Macedonia in cooperation with FUEN. It will focus on topics such as educational opportunities at the local level, issues of discrimination and minority rights, and the FUEN campaign “Mute Hate Speech”.

During Thursday’s online meeting, the planned priorities and structure of the conference were discussed. Additionally, the participants exchanged views on the EU accession prospects of the Western Balkan countries, highlighting the importance of the project in the current political context.

Background

The FUEN project “Minorities in the Western Balkans” is dedicated to promoting the rights and improving the living conditions of the autochthonous minorities in the region. Through initiatives like conferences, workshops, and political dialogues, the project addresses topics such as education, political participation, discrimination, as well as hate speech and antiziganism. 

Previous events, such as the conference “Minorities in the Western Balkans: Opportunities and Perspectives” held in Croatia in 2023, brought together representatives of numerous minorities to develop sustainable solutions for shared challenges. The establishment of the Minority Commissioner’s Office in Bijeljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina) further underscores FUEN’s commitment to the region.