International Standards on Minority Protection

The most important international organisations active in Europe have all adopted provisions concerning the rights of persons belonging to traditional, autochthonous national minorities and languages groups. We are talking about treaties, resolutions, conventions, charters and declarations. There are also different bodies in the European Union, in the Council of Europe, in the United Nations and in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe dealing with minority issues.

We at FUEN (with the active help of Member of the European Parliament Loránt Vincze’s office) have collected the most important information together for you.

Click on the links below to find out more about each institution’s contribution to minority rights:

I. European Union

 1. EU Treaties

 2. European Parliament resolutions and studies

 3. The Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages at the European Parliament

II. United Nations

1. UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues
2. Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National, or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

III. Council of Europe

1. Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM): TEXT; WEBSITE
2. European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML): TEXT; WEBSITE 

IV. OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

WEBSITE; Thematic Recommendations and Guidelines on National Minorities