FUEN Assembly of Delegates 2024: Call for a European legal framework for the protection and promotion of minorities

The third day of the FUEN Congress is traditionally dedicated to our more than 100 member organisations: During the Assembly of Delegates, we reflect on the past year and make important decisions for the future.

This year, FUEN once again adopted a comprehensive main resolution at its Assembly of Delegates, which took place on 21 September at the Husumhus in Husum/Hüsem (Germany). This calls for the development of a European legal framework for the protection and promotion of autochthonous national minorities. The resolution states: " The situation of several autochthonous national and linguistic minorities worldwide, and particularly in Europe, is deteriorating, with a concerning decline in minority protection. This was the main conclusion of the ‘Ewald Ammende’ International Expert Conference, organized by FUEN on 3-4 March in Brussels. The conference recommended that FUEN advocate for a comprehensive EU legal framework with clear protection standards to effectively safeguard and promote the rights of national and linguistic minorities, including their culture, language, and identity, and to launch a new cooperation forum for civil society organisations focused on minority rights."

In terms of content, the resolution is divided into four central areas:

European Union: FUEN calls for the creation of a comprehensive EU legal framework for the protection and promotion of autochthonous national minorities. This should establish a harmonised European standard that protects both the collective and individual rights of minorities, particularly with regard to their culture, language and identity. Minorities should be able to act as equal citizens in all areas of life. The cultural and linguistic diversity of these minorities is emphasised as an essential part of the European way of life that must be actively supported.

FUEN is also urging the European Commission to re-examine the Minority SafePack Initiative. The Commission is called upon to develop a European strategy and legal measures based on the MSPI. In addition, the EC should set up an advisory body to provide expert advice on policy-making and the implementation of EU legislation relating to autochthonous national minorities in the EU and its neighbourhood.

Council of Europe: The Council of Europe should prioritise the protection of minorities and strengthen cooperation with civil society active in the field of minority protection. In addition, the establishment of a parliamentary body for autochthonous national minorities within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is recommended.

United Nations (UN): FUEN recommends the establishment of a permanent forum for minority issues at the UN and supports the efforts of the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues to conduct an active dialogue with civil society active in the field of minority protection.

Civil society: FUEN would like to improve cooperation between European civil society organisations representing autochthonous national minorities by setting up a European Minorities Council.

In addition, eight further resolutions were adopted:

• on the verbal attacks against the Turks on Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese islands in the Greek Parliament
• to the endangered Breton place names in Brittany (France)
• to the Committee for National Minorities in Albania
• on the cancellation of the registration of Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association
• on Catalan as an official EU language
• on the immersive education system in Catalonia
• on the registration of generic terms in regional and minority languages as protected commercial trade marks
• on the protection of the indigenous people of the Crimean Tatars and national minorities in Ukraine

The following decisions were also passed:

Amendments were made to four articles of the FUEN statutes. One of these changes concerns Article 24, intended to ensure that the linguistic and geographical diversity of the FUEN member organisations is better reflected in the Presidium.

EUROPEADA 2028 will be organised in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, in the north-east of Italy. It will be hosted by the Slovenian and Friulian FUEN member organisations from Italy (Council of Slovenian Organisations; Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association; Friulian Philological Society).

The FUEN Congress 2025 will be organised in South Tyrol (Italy). It will be hosted by our member organisation, the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP), which represents German and Ladin South Tyroleans. The congress will most likely take place again in September.

The Assembly of Delegates has accepted two organisations as associate member organisations of FUEN:

• Central Association of Slovenian Organisations (ZSO) in Carinthia / Zveza slovenskih organizacij na Koroškem (ZSO), Austria
• German Community in Klaipėda / Verein der Deutschen in Klaipėda – Klaipėdos vokiečių bendrija, Lithuania

In addition, the Assembly of Delegates appointed four organisations as supporting member organisations of FUEN:

• Roma Adult Educational Centre – Roma Volkshochschule Burgenland - VHS Roma, Austria
• The Swedish Assembly of FInland - Svenska Finlands Folkting/Folktinget, Finland
• NGO "Duslyk" - ГО "Дуслик", Ukraine
• Hungarian Civic Power - Magyar Polgári Erő (MPE), Romania

The Assembly of Delegates also decided to change the membership status of the FUEN member organisations "Plataforma per la Llengua" and "Montenegrin Community in Albania 'ZCGA' - Elbasan" from associate to ordinary membership.

The FUEN Presidium has also accepted Professor Bengt-Arne Wickström as an individual member of FUEN.

Welcome to the FUEN family!