FUEN hosts Coordination Meeting on Minority Issues in Brussels

On 15 April, the FUEN organised a coordination meeting on minority issues with its Brussels-based partners. The meeting brought together representatives from the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages, the European Commission’s DG Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, as well as several civil society organisations working on national and linguistic minority rights across Europe and its neighbourhood. These included the Minority Rights Group (MRG), the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD), the Coppieters Foundation, the FUEN Working Group of Turkic Minorities and Communities (TAG), the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization (UNPO), the European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network and ADC Memorial. The meeting was hosted by FUEN Brussels.

The agenda focused on exchanging thematic priorities, upcoming projects and opportunities for joint initiatives. Topics included minority education, youth participation, political participation, and the inclusion of minority communities, including Roma. A special emphasis was placed on improving cooperation between the institutions and ensuring that minority concerns are reflected in EU policies.

The FUEN presented updates on its important projects, including the European Dialogue Forum (EDF) and the upcoming 9th Forum of European Minority Regions, which will take place in June in Serbia. The participants were also informed about the pending decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Minority SafePack Initiative (MSPI), expected on 5 June.

The European Commission’s representative outlined funding opportunities in the field of multilingual education and cooperation among stakeholders. In addition, the representative of the European Parliament informed about the recently re-established Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages and shared its planned activities.

The representatives of the civil society organisations underlined the importance of the European Commission’s support for minority-related projects, including in fields beyond education. There was a shared optimism regarding the new Minority Intergroup and an open discussion on how to raise key topics with the Members of the European Parliament.

The meeting concluded with agreement on the importance of continuing this format of regular coordination, facilitated by the FUEN.