Press Release On the European Court of Justice’s final decision on the Minority SafePack Initiative

On 5 June 2025, the European Court of Justice delivered its final decision on the Minority SafePack Initiative. The Court dismissed the appeal and once again upheld the European Commission’s decision not to propose legal acts based on the European Citizens’ Initiative. The MSPI had called for the protection and promotion of the culture and language of Europe’s autochthonous national minorities and language groups.

On behalf of the Minority SafePack Initiative, FUEN President Loránt Vincze, MEP, stated:

“The Citizens’ Committee, the FUEN, and its partners accept the Court’s decision and are of the opinion that the EU has failed to provide a fairer and more equal society for all its citizens. Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise: the signals from their direction were clear—the EU still does not wish to address the issue of minority protection, which is considered too sensitive by some member states. Consequently, people belonging to national minorities and linguistic groups feel consistently left out of all EU actions on diversity, equality, and justice, including the rule of law.”

The FUEN and its partners remain committed to continuing the fight for the protection standards of national minorities and language groups in Europe:

“The rights of national minorities and language groups in Europe have regressed over the past decade. Many communities face cultural assimilation and the loss of their languages. European institutions and national governments still fail to grasp the gravity of the situation. In the fall, the FUEN and its partners will launch a ‘Minority Manifesto for the Future,’ which outlines a vision and a common action plan for all minority organisations in Europe. This initiative will call on the EU, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and the UN to protect and promote minority cultures and languages and to safeguard their rights,” said Loránt Vincze.

The FUEN President expressed gratitude to all who contributed to this effort: the Citizens’ Committee, RMDSZ, SVP, and YEN as initiators; the campaign team; attorney Thomas Hieber and his team for representing the MSPI; the hundreds of organisations involved; the more than one million supporters; the European Parliament, the Bundestag, the Hungarian and Dutch Parliaments, and the regional parliaments that offered their support.

The organisation will build on these achievements and will continue to lead the fight for minority protection in the EU.