President of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) visits the FUEN office in Flensburg

On 8 May, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) and former Prime Minister of the German-speaking Community in Belgium, visited the FUEN office in Flensburg. He was accompanied by Eka von Kalben, Vice-President of the State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein, Jan Diedrichsen, Head of the Representation of the State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein to the European Union in Brussels, and Peter Hansen, Head of the Regional Office & Information Centre of the Danish-German Region Sønderjylland-Schleswig. FUEN was represented by Vice President Gösta Toft.

The exchange with the high-ranking guests centred on the further promotion of FUEN and minorities in Europe, the importance of European minority policy against the backdrop of the upcoming European elections and the general difficulties that minorities are currently facing. Last but not least, the status of the European Citizens' Initiative "Minority SafePack" and the next steps towards realising the goals of this initiative to improve the protection of minorities in the EU were also discussed.

In his opening statement, Gösta Toft emphasised the need to bring the problems of minorities and the work of FUEN into the discourse spaces of the majority society. "If we don't act now, we are facing difficult times", he warned in this context.

The dwindling attention for minorities and their rights as well as the uncertainty about the organisation of minority policy after the European elections were also addressed by Jan Diedrichsen. Karl-Heinz Lambertz also reflected on the general importance of cultural diversity in Europe. And Gösta Toft emphasised that the added value of minorities must always be highlighted.

Eka von Kalben took this opportunity to emphasise the importance of regular exchange – and at the same time stressed how important it is for the majority population to understand the value of minorities and linguistic diversity.

The discussion led to an impetus for possible cooperation between FUEN and AEBR. "It was a fruitful discussion about cross-border cooperation and minority policy in Europe, especially in the context of the German-Danish border region," said Gösta Toft, summarising the meeting.

The exchange marks an important step towards increasing the visibility of minorities in Europe and demonstrates the ongoing commitment of all those involved to a diverse and minority-friendly society.

Photo: Jan Diedrichsen, Eka von Kalben, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Gösta Toft, Peter Hansen (left to right)