FUEN advocates stronger minority rights protections at PACE spring session in Strasbourg

Between April 20 and 22, 2026, a delegation from the Federal Union of European Nationalities' (FUEN) European Dialogue Forum (EDF) visited the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, to engage in high-level discussions during the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) spring session.

The FUEN delegation aimed to ensure that the voices of national and linguistic minorities remain a priority at the highest institutional levels. The participating delegation included EDF chairperson Jens A. Christiansen, (South Schleswig Association, Germany), Mag. Josef Buranits (Croatian Cultural Association in Burgenland, Austria) Volodymyr Leysle (Council of Germans, Ukraine) and Kateryna Haertel (FUEN Brussels Office).

A cornerstone of the visit was a dedicated meeting with PACE President Petra Bayr. During this constructive exchange, the delegation formally requested that the protection of national minorities remain high on the Assembly's agenda.

The delegation highlighted PACE's crucial role as the political vehicle of the Council of Europe, urging the Assembly to cast a stronger spotlight on the monitoring results of two vital conventions: the Framework Convention on National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML). Stressing that minority rights are integral components of democracy and the rule of law, the EDF advocated for PACE to serve as a platform for a wider political dialogue on these issues.

To facilitate this ongoing dialogue, the FUEN delegation presented the proposal to establish a dedicated Minority Intergroup within PACE.

On Tuesday, April 21, the delegation participated in a highly productive joint meeting with Ambassador Heike Thiele, the Permanent Representative of Germany, and Ambassador Aastrup Jensen, the Permanent Representative of Denmark.

The primary focus of this dialogue was to explore the best models for national minority protection across Europe. The delegation emphasized using the historic Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations as a foundational framework to build a wider institutional structure within PACE. Furthermore, the representatives discussed strategies for deepening cooperation on minority issues within the broader framework of the Council of Europe.

The intensive three-day agenda allowed the FUEN delegation to hold strategic meetings with various national representatives and PACE delegations to build cross-party and cross-national support, including Lise Selnes, head of the delegation of Norway to the CoeE, MP Andreas Minnich, Vice Head of Delegation of Austria, MP Yevheniya Kravchuk of the PACE delegation of Ukraine, Valentyn Skuratovskyi , Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe and and MP Ivan Račan from the PACE delegation of Croatia. The visit concluded on April 22 with a meeting with Ambassador Aloisia Wörgetter, the Permanent Representative of Austria to the Council of Europe, where the role of the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz in safeguarding states’ commitments within the Language Charter and challenges by AI for minority languages were discussed.

FUEN and the EDF remain committed to building upon the momentum generated in Strasbourg, working step-by-step to guarantee that minority rights remain a fundamental pillar of the European democratic framework.