FUEN: Minorities always have to be involved in all decisions affecting them

A member organisation of the FUEN, the Macedonian Association "Ilinden" from Albania, recently informed the FUEN about incorrect statements regarding the minorities in Albania that were adopted as part of the European Parliament’s resolution on the 2017 Progress Report on Albania. According to the President of Ilinden, Nikola Gjurgjaj, the final version of the resolution might affect the rights and interests of the Macedonians living in Albania.

The FUEN welcomes the resolution, in which the European Parliament  “recalls, among the key priorities, the need to reinforce the protection of human rights, minority rights and anti-discrimination policies” and, similarly to the FUEN Resolution adopted at the 2016 Congress in Poland, “calls on Albania to adopt the framework law on the protection of minorities and to ratify the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages”. However, the FUEN notes that the Macedonian community was omitted in the paragraph referring to the regions of Prespa, Golo Brdo and Gora. These regions are traditionally inhabited by Macedonians, but in the text of the resolution only the Bulgarian minority is mentioned, making an erroneous finding, that replaces the Macedonian group with the Bulgarian one. 

The FUEN assures the Ilinden Association its solidarity and urges the European Parliament, the Member States and all authorities involved to refrain from any attempt to revoke recognition of certain minority groups or to limit the use of minority rights and guarantee full implementation of domestic and international commitments. Similarly, the FUEN believes that every minority group has the right to self-definition as part of its right to identity. This right may not be overruled by any third party, neither by the EU nor by the nation states. We firmly believe that the minorities should always be involved in the decision-making processes, which have an impact on them. In this context, the FUEN would like to offer its expertise in this matter. 

The FUEN reminds all parties about the resolution adopted by the Assembly of Delegates of FUEN in Wrocław / Breslau (Poland), on 21 May 2016, in which it calls on the Republic of Albania:  

1. To sign and ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe that the Albanian state has delayed for years in an unclear and irresponsible way.  

2. To officially recognize the Macedonian minority on the whole territory of the Republic of Albania.  

3. To grant all the minority rights to the Macedonian minority especially in the regions of Golo Brdo and Gora, as these are implemented in the region of Mala Prespa.  

4. To teach the Macedonian language as mother tongue in public schools in Golo Brdo and Gora and across the territory of the Republic of Albania where a significant number of people belonging to the Macedonian minority are present.

5. To create in the regions of Golo Brdo and Gora two municipalities, the Golo Brdo Municipality and the Gora Municipality.  

6. To provide financial support from the Ministry of Culture of Albania for cultural and educational activities of the Macedonian minority in the Republic Albania. 

The full document can be downloaded under the following link: 

https://www.fuen.org/fileadmin/user_upload/congress_2016/Resolution_2016-02_EN.pdf