Minority Monitor: Between Law and Reality – The Struggle of the Macedonian Minority in Albania

The latest contribution to our Minority Monitor focuses on the situation of the Macedonian minority in Albania and FUEN’s long-standing efforts to ensure the protection of their rights. The article draws on six FUEN Resolutions submitted between 2016 and 2024 by the FUEN member organisation Macedonian Association “Ilinden” Tirana, highlighting persistent gaps between legal guarantees and the actual implementation of minority rights.

While Albania formally recognised the Macedonian minority under the 2017 Law on the Protection of National Minorities, the community continues to face discrimination and weak enforcement of existing legislation. Recognition remains largely limited to the region of Mala Prespa/Pustec, with Macedonians in Golo Brdo and Gora experiencing significantly fewer protections in language use, education and political participation. These inconsistencies reflect a broader divide between law and practice in Albania’s approach to minority rights.

The article also explores the historical and political background of the Macedonian minority, tracing how administrative reforms and limited representation have deepened marginalisation. Despite Albania’s commitments under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and other international instruments, monitoring bodies continue to note slow progress and uneven implementation of rights across regions.

FUEN calls on the Albanian government to fully implement the Minority Law and adopt the missing secondary legislation necessary for its enforcement. It also urges national authorities to strengthen the institutional mechanisms responsible for minority protection and ensure fair access to education, culture and political participation for all Macedonian communities across Albania.

With this piece, the Minority Monitor once again highlights the gap between legal recognition and lived reality and reaffirms FUEN’s mission to ensure equal rights and genuine inclusion for Europe’s national and linguistic minorities.

Read the full article here: Between Law and Reality – The Struggle of the Macedonian Minority in Albania