PRESS RELEASE

Presentation of legal-political minority compendium in Brussels

On Wednesday 10 October 2012 a new compendium on minority protection was presented in the representation of South Tyrol in Brussels. The book, “The protection of minorities in Europe: a legal-political compendium leading from A to Z” was written by two leading legal experts in the fields of minority rights and EU law, Günther Rautz and Gabriel Toggenburg. The publication is a translation made possible by the region of Trentino-South Tyrol of the book they wrote in German two years ago (“ABC der Minderheitenschutz in Europa”).

The presentation kicked off with speeches by the governor of South Tyrol, Luis Durnwalder, and the prime minister of the German-speaking Community in Belgium, Karl-Heinz Lambertz. Both gentlemen were of the opinion that, when using words, it is important to know what you are speaking about. The fact that the book is a very useful tool as it gives definitions and background on several entries, in clear and simple language, was reason for the region of Trentino-South Tyrol to have it translated and presented in Brussels, as FUEN-vice-president and regional assessor Martha Stocker underlined. According to MEP Herbert Dorfmann from

 

 

South Tyrol the book comes at the right moment. It is not a good time for minority issues now, as there is increasing pressure on the regions and special rights for minorities, which are often seen as impediments to the economy and more understanding of the issues involved is highly needed. The authors of the book had a discussion with Csaba Tabajdi, chair of the intergroup for national minorities in the European Parliament, on how to incorporate the minorities in the political agenda of the EU. Tabajdi mentioned some of the contradictions in the EU on this issue, such as the difference in treatment between Member States and accession countries where it comes to minority protection rules, the slowly emerging linkage of Council of Europe standards with EU-policies and the precedent of the Roma Strategy, which according to Tabajdi might also work in the field of the minorities in general. Rautz recognised the various stages in minority protection over the past 20 years: first a revolution in minority protection, with much political interest in these issues after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the conflicts in Yugoslavia, leading to much activity at the Council of Europe and the OSCE, including the adoption of the Framework Convention on the Protection of Nationalities and the Language Charter. It was followed by a slowdown and consolidation leading to more awareness amongst the minorities themselves, until the early years of the twenty-first century. And from then on almost total standstill, whereas in the meantime ethnic conflict is rising again. He also remarked that the minorities have to work together more strongly and create alliances to further their case. The new Lisbon Treaty, which provides the institutional framework of the EU and its competences and which entered into force in 2009, is like a cocktail-glass according to Toggenburg; it is complex and depending on whom you ask, it is half full or half empty. It contains several provisions that can be seen as consolidation of the status quo, also some evolutionary articles and a number of new provisions, e.g. on the citizens’ initiative. One should however keep in mind that the European Union cannot be blamed for national policies and that it has only limited powers in regard to minority issues. But nevertheless there are certain possibilities for positive change in some areas, based on the treaty.