Equality in Political Participation and Representation: Third “Women of Minorities” Conference to Be Held in Budapest

Women from Europe’s national minorities will come together in Budapest (Hungary) this December for the third thematic meeting of FUEN’s Women of Minorities project. From 1–3 December 2025, experts, activists, politicians and community representatives will gather under the title “Equality in Political Participation and Representation of Minorities” to examine how minority women can gain more visibility, influence and space in political and public life.

Following previous meetings in Vienna in 2023 and Athens in 2024, the Budapest edition will focus on one of the most persistent challenges for minority communities: ensuring that women are not only present but also able to shape decision-making processes at local, national and European level.

Hosted by the Self-Government of Germans in Hungary (Landesselbstverwaltung der Ungarndeutschen – LdU), the conference will open with contributions from Olivia Schubert, President of FUEN, and Prof. Dr. Tove Malloy, former Gender Equality Rapporteur and member in respect of Denmark in the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), who will deliver the keynote address. The programme will also include a TED Talk–style input by Anna N. Schlegel, Member of the Parliament of Catalonia and Vice President of Global at ProCore Technologies, on the topic of women’s (in)visibility (her career was also featured in FUEN’s “Women of Minorities” video interview, published in May 2024).

The programme brings together a wide range of speakers and organisations and looks at core dimensions of political participation: international and national equality standards, local mechanisms that influence access to representation and the everyday conditions under which minority women participate in political and public life.

The conference panels will examine these questions from different perspectives. One session focuses on the broader frameworks that regulate participation at international, national and local levels. Another presents country-specific insights on barriers and positive practices in the participation and representation of minority women, covering issues such as quotas, thresholds, legal requirements and structural challenges.

A key session of the conference will be the round-table discussion on the (in)visibility of women in politics and public life. Women representing Roma, Turkish, German, Czech, Serbian, Montenegrin and other minority communities will discuss how minority women are represented in political debates and institutions and will share perspectives from parliamentary work, minority self-governance, civil society and community initiatives.

A thematic visit to the Ethnographic Museum’s exhibition “Heavy Fabric. Women – Traditional Costume – Life Stories” will add a cultural perspective on the roles and identities of women.

The three-day programme highlights the importance of improving the political participation of minority women as an essential part of strengthening minority communities and contributing to an inclusive European democratic landscape.

Those interested will be able to follow the conference highlights and key moments on FUEN’s social media channels.