A meeting with the Prime Minister - securing Czech support for Minority SafePack

On the 11th of October, a delegation of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) visited Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic.

Led by FUEN President MEP Loránt Vincze, the aim of the working visit was to secure the support of governmental decision-makers for the Minority SafePack Initiative. Supported by 1,128,385 EU citizens –  including 635 citizens of the Czech Republic – Minority SafePack is a European Citizens' Initiative that contains 9 proposals intended to form a foundation for the establishment of a comprehensive EU Minority Protection Framework.

In order to secure official Czech support for the initiative, the delegation had the honour of meeting:
- Andrej Babiš - Prime Minister & Chairman of the Government Council on National Minorities.
- Milena Hrdinková - State Secretary for European Affairs,
- Václav Hampl - Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Senate of the Czech Republic,
- Tomáš Czernin - Chairman of the Commission on Compatriots Living Abroad of the Senate of the Czech Republic,
- Aleš Chmelař - Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs,
- Petra Smoliková - Deputy Minister of Culture for Legislation, EU Relations,
- Andrea Baršová - Director of the Department of Human Rights and Protection of Minorities.

The FUEN delegation had a series of positive meetings in which they secured the support of key policy-makers in the field of minority protection within the Czech Republic. In the words of FUEN President Loránt Vincze, “In the Czech Republic there is a high interest of the Government and the Parliament to support the national minorities in Europe, to preserve the cultural and linguistic diversity. It is essential for the Minority SafePack Initiative to have the endorsement of as many member states as possible."

The delegation consisted of the leaders of FUEN Member Organisations in the Czech Republic and FUEN Member Organisations representing Czech national minorities across the European Union, namely:
Member of Sabor Vladimir Bilek and Tanja Novotni Golubić (Coordination Council and Representatives of the Czech National Minority in Croatia)
President Adrian Merka (Democratic Union of Czechs and Slovaks in Romania)
Chairman Pavel Doležal (Czech Association in Slovakia).
Vice-Chairman Tomasz Pustówka (Congress of Poles in the Czech Republic)
Chairman Martin Dzingel (Association of Germans in the Czech Republic).

Additionally, the visit was planned and executed by FUEN Policy Advisor on Minority SafePack, Dénes András Nagy, who escorted the delegation.