| Dokumendiregister | Kultuuriministeerium |
| Viit | 11-2/1155-1 |
| Registreeritud | 16.10.2024 |
| Sünkroonitud | 17.10.2024 |
| Liik | Sissetulev kiri |
| Funktsioon | 11 Lõimumispoliitika kavandamine ja rakendamine |
| Sari | 11-2 Kirjavahetus kultuurilise mitmekesisuse ning lõimumispoliitika kavandamise ning rakendamise küsimustes |
| Toimik | 11-2/2024 Kirjavahetus kultuurilise mitmekesisuse ning lõimumispoliitika kavandamise ning rakendamise küsimustes |
| Juurdepääsupiirang | Avalik |
| Juurdepääsupiirang | |
| Adressaat | Riigikantselei |
| Saabumis/saatmisviis | Riigikantselei |
| Vastutaja | Keit Spiegel (KULTUURIMINISTEERIUM, Kultuurilise mitmekesisuse osakond) |
| Originaal | Ava uues aknas |
FEDERAL UNION OF EUROPEAN NATIONALITIES FÖDERALISTISCHE UNION EUROPÄISCHER NATIONALITÄTEN
ФEДЕРАЛИСТСКИЙ СОЮЗ ЕВРОПЕЙСКИХ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ МЕНЬШИНСТВ UNION FÉDÉRALISTE DES COMMUNAUTÉS ETHNIQUES EUROPÉENNES
FUEN · Schiffbrücke 42 · D-24939 Flensburg
FUEN Flensburg / Flensborg FUEN Berlin FUEN Brussel / Bruxelles Schiffbrücke 42 Reinhardtstr. 27B Rue d’Arlon 25 D-24939 Flensburg D-10117 Berlin B-1050 Brussel +49 461 12855 +49 30 364 284 050 +32 2 6271822 [email protected] · www.fuen.org Sydbank Flensburg · SWIFT SYBKDE22 · IBAN DE55 2151 0600 1000 3516 00
Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia H. E. Mr. Kristen Michal Government Office of the Republic of Estonia Stenbocki Maja, Rahukohtu 3 EE-15161 Tallinn 14 October 2024
RESOLUTIONS 2024
Your Excellency, I am writing to you on behalf of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN). With more than 100 Member Organisations from 38 European countries, FUEN is the representative umbrella organisation of autochthonous national minorities, cultural, linguistic and ethnic groups in Europe. We thus advocate on behalf of our Member Organisations in the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On an annual basis, FUEN holds its Congress, the largest gathering of minority representatives in Europe, to deliberate upon key issues and adopt resolutions at its Assembly of Delegates. In 2024, the Assembly of Delegates took place on 21 September 2024 in Husum • Hüsem, Germany as part of the FUEN Congress. We would like to draw your attention to the adopted resolutions. FUEN delegates adopted the main resolution entitled “On developing a European Legal Framework for Minority Protection and Promotion”. The resolution draws attention of the governments and political stakeholders to the severely deteriorating situation of several national and linguistic minorities worldwide, and in particular in Europe, when it comes to the protection of their minority cultures, rights and collective identities. The resolution manifests the outcome of the high-level ‘Ewald Ammende’ International Expert Conference organized on 3-4th March in Brussels: a comprehensive EU legal framework with clear protection standards to effectively safeguard and promote the wide spectrum of rights of national and linguistic minorities should be enacted as soon as possible. In addition, the main resolution calls the international community to establish a new cooperation forum for civil society organisations designated specifically to minority rights. The resolutions, submitted by several European minorities which are member organisations of FUEN, raised the attention to the specific problematic situations of minorities in different European countries: the Turkish minority in Rhodes and Kos, Greece; the Breton minority in France; the Macedonian minority in Albania; the Turkish
Federal Union of European Nationalities Flensburg / Flensborg · Berlin · Brussel / Bruxelles +49 461 12855 · [email protected] · www.fuen.org
minority in Western Thrace, Greece; the Catalan speakers in Spain; the North Frisian, Sorb, Danish minorities and Sinti and Roma in Germany; and the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine. We would like to draw your attention to the adopted resolutions and ask for your support in their implementation. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have questions and comments about these resolutions. Sincerely yours, Loránt Vincze Member of the European Parliament President of FUEN Annex: Resolutions adopted at the FUEN Assembly of Delegates on 21 September 2024.
FEDERAL UNION OF EUROPEAN NATIONALITIES FÖDERALISTISCHE UNION EUROPÄISCHER NATIONALITÄTEN
ФEДЕРАЛИСТСКИЙ СОЮЗ ЕВРОПЕЙСКИХ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ МЕНЬШИНСТВ UNION FÉDÉRALISTE DES COMMUNAUTÉS ETHNIQUES EUROPÉENNES
FUEN · Schiffbrücke 42 · D-24939 Flensburg
FUEN Flensburg / Flensborg FUEN Berlin FUEN Brussel / Bruxelles Schiffbrücke 42 Reinhardtstr. 27B Rue d’Arlon 25 D-24939 Flensburg D-10117 Berlin B-1050 Brussel +49 461 12855 +49 30 364 284 050 +32 2 6271822 [email protected] · www.fuen.org Sydbank Flensburg · SWIFT SYBKDE22 · IBAN DE55 2151 0600 1000 3516 00
Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia H. E. Mr. Kristen Michal Government Office of the Republic of Estonia Stenbocki Maja, Rahukohtu 3 EE-15161 Tallinn 14 October 2024
RESOLUTIONS 2024
Your Excellency, I am writing to you on behalf of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN). With more than 100 Member Organisations from 38 European countries, FUEN is the representative umbrella organisation of autochthonous national minorities, cultural, linguistic and ethnic groups in Europe. We thus advocate on behalf of our Member Organisations in the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On an annual basis, FUEN holds its Congress, the largest gathering of minority representatives in Europe, to deliberate upon key issues and adopt resolutions at its Assembly of Delegates. In 2024, the Assembly of Delegates took place on 21 September 2024 in Husum • Hüsem, Germany as part of the FUEN Congress. We would like to draw your attention to the adopted resolutions. FUEN delegates adopted the main resolution entitled “On developing a European Legal Framework for Minority Protection and Promotion”. The resolution draws attention of the governments and political stakeholders to the severely deteriorating situation of several national and linguistic minorities worldwide, and in particular in Europe, when it comes to the protection of their minority cultures, rights and collective identities. The resolution manifests the outcome of the high-level ‘Ewald Ammende’ International Expert Conference organized on 3-4th March in Brussels: a comprehensive EU legal framework with clear protection standards to effectively safeguard and promote the wide spectrum of rights of national and linguistic minorities should be enacted as soon as possible. In addition, the main resolution calls the international community to establish a new cooperation forum for civil society organisations designated specifically to minority rights. The resolutions, submitted by several European minorities which are member organisations of FUEN, raised the attention to the specific problematic situations of minorities in different European countries: the Turkish minority in Rhodes and Kos, Greece; the Breton minority in France; the Macedonian minority in Albania; the Turkish
Federal Union of European Nationalities Flensburg / Flensborg · Berlin · Brussel / Bruxelles +49 461 12855 · [email protected] · www.fuen.org
minority in Western Thrace, Greece; the Catalan speakers in Spain; the North Frisian, Sorb, Danish minorities and Sinti and Roma in Germany; and the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine. We would like to draw your attention to the adopted resolutions and ask for your support in their implementation. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have questions and comments about these resolutions. Sincerely yours, Loránt Vincze Member of the European Parliament President of FUEN Annex: Resolutions adopted at the FUEN Assembly of Delegates on 21 September 2024.
ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES IN HUSUM • HÜSEM
Federal Union of European Nationalities
RESOLUTIONS 2024
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTIONS 2024
FUEN Congress Main Resolution 2024 On developing a European Legal Framework for Minority Protection and Promotion
Resolution 2024 – 01 Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROISDER)
Resolution 2024 – 02 Cultural Institute of Brittany (ICB)
Resolution 2024 – 03 Macedonian Association “Ilinden” - Tirana
Resolution 2024 – 04 Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA)
Resolution 2024 – 05 Association Plafaforma per la Llengua
Resolution 2024 – 06 Association Plafaforma per la Llengua
Resolution 2024 – 07 Main submitter Frasche Rädj/Frisian Council Section North supported by Friisk Foriining, Domowina – Union of Lusatian Sorbs, EBLUL Germany,
South Schleswig Association SSF, Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
Resolution 2024 – 08 Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
FUEN CONGRESS MAIN RESOLUTION 2024
On developing a European Legal Framework for Minority Protection and Promotion
The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at its Assembly of Delegates on 21 September 2024 in Husum • Hüsem:
The situation of several autochthonous national and linguistic minorities worldwide, and particularly in Europe, is deteriorating, with a concerning decline in minority protection. This was the main conclusion of the ‘Ewald Ammende’ International Expert Conference, organized by FUEN on 3-4 March in Brussels. The conference recommended that FUEN advocate for a comprehensive EU legal framework with clear protection standards to effectively safeguard and promote the rights of national and linguistic minorities, including their culture, language, and identity, and to launch a new cooperation forum for civil society organisations focused on minority rights.
With regard to the European Union
1. FUEN calls for the establishment of a comprehensive EU legal framework for the protection and promotion of national and linguistic minorities in Europe and a recognition that they represent a benefit of every society. This framework should set a common European policy standard that ensures the full respect of both collective and individual human rights for persons belonging to national or linguistic minorities, allowing them to live as equal citizens in all aspects of private and public life.
2. National and linguistic minorities must receive greater attention within the EU institutions and should become an integral part of one of the new Commissioners’ portfolios. FUEN urges the EU institutions, to actively support in collaboration with Member States the cultural and linguistic diversity represented by national and linguistic minorities as a fundamental aspect of the European way of life.
3. FUEN calls on the new European Commission to re-evaluate the proposals of the Minority SafePack European Citizens’ Initiative (MSPI), which was supported by more than one million citizens and a large majority of the European Parliament. The Commission should develop a European strategy and legal measures based on the MSPI.
4. The Commission should set up an advisory body to offer expertise in policymaking and implementation of EU legislation concerning traditional national and linguistic minorities in the EU and its neighborhood.
5. Following the European Council’s decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, FUEN urges the EU institutions to ensure that the candidate countries and also all EU member states fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, including improving their legal frameworks on the protection of national minorities.
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
6. FUEN strongly supports the re-establishment of the European Parliament Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages, which is for the time being the only forum within the EU institutions dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by linguistic and autochthonous minorities in the EU and neighborhood.
With regard to the Council of Europe
7. The Council of Europe should prioritize and reinforce minority protection on the organization’s agenda and strengthen the cooperation with civil society active in the field of minority protection by facilitating their participation as observers in its dedicated bodies.
8. FUEN deplores that despite its longstanding consultative status by the Council of Europe, the Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) decided in June 2024 not to admit FUEN as observer. FUEN reaffirms its key objective to combat discrimination against national minorities, promote their diversity and ensure their full inclusion in society. FUEN commits to maintain a critical voice when member states take measures negatively affecting national minorities or when they tolerate discriminatory actions against them.
9. FUEN recommends establishing a designated parliamentary body on autochthonous national minorities within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to ensure systemic dialogue and cooperation between representatives from all Council of Europe member states on minority protection, as envisaged by the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML).
With regard to the United Nations
10. Acknowledging the significant work of the UN on minority issues at the global level, FUEN recommends the establishment of a permanent Forum on Minority Issues. The Forum should coordinate efforts relating to the rights and concerns of minorities, provide first-hand information and expertise on minority protection and promote dialogue on minority issues.
11. FUEN strongly supports the efforts of the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, and encourages him to engage in a continuous and meaningful exchange with civil society active in the field of minority protection and encourage member states to enhance their consultative channels with minorities.
With regard to the civil society
12. FUEN seeks to enhance cooperation among European civil society organisations representing traditional national and linguistic minorities by establishing a European Minority Council to synchronise efforts and better represent the voices and interests of national minorities.
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-01
Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROISDER)
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Stop verbal attacks against Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks in the Greek Parliament
The Greek State puts forward the thesis that „There are no Turks in the Dodecanese”, only „Greek Muslims”. On this account, Greek Deputy Mrs. Fotini Pipili made a speech against ROISDER and its president Mustafa Kaymakçı at the 98th Parliamentary Session of the Hellenic Parliament on Monday, March 22, 2022, and accordingly, this approach was shared in the minutes presented in response to the parliamentary question on this particular subject.
As The General Assembly of FUEN we point out two international documents proving and validating the Turkish presence in the Dodecanese1. There is no doubt about the presence of Turks and their culture in the Dodecanese!
As FUEN, we would like to indicate that this situation that has arisen in the Hellenic Parliament against ROISDER has an intolerant approach towards the civil society and also directly points to a prejudicial attitude towards the representatives of the Turkish community in Rhodes and Kos.
As FUEN, we declare that destruction or ignorance of any cultural identity cannot be the appropriate approach; accordingly, the protection and development of Turkish cultural identity in Rhodes and Kos should be one of the primary obligations of Greece, a member of the European Union.
FUEN calls on the Parliament in Greece to:
• Stop the verbal attacks on the Turk cultural and Solidarity organisation ROISDER and accept the presence of Turks in the Dodecanese!
1 Resolution of the Council of Europe “The Situation of Greek Citizens of Turkish Origin in Rhodes and Kos”, adopted by the Stand- ing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on March 09 2012 and Fautré, W., 2017.”Greece: Ethnic Turks in Rhodes and Kos under Greek Rule”. Federal Union of European Nations (FUEN) Brussels, January 2017.
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-02
Cultural Institute of Brittany (ICB)
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Endangered Place Names In Brittany (France)
In France the application of the 3DS Law n° 2022-2171 on 21 September 2022 is leading to the debretonnisation of our countryside.
According to article 169 of this law: „The municipal council shall name the roads and localities, including private roads open to traffic”. All municipalities must name the roads and localities, give a number to each user and provide addressing in Local Address Base format in the National Address Base, according to the unilateral standards of the Post Office.
These operations have not yet been completed for small municipalities. The communes are applying this law, in conjunction with the Post Office, often choosing a French name for roads that previously had no name, leading to the gradual disappearance of the Breton place names. At the Post Office’s request, they mix French and Breton by adding „rue”( street) or „chemin”(road) to a Breton-language name. For technical reasons, locality names sometimes disappear when they are entered into the Local Address database.
Deprived of addressing, the Breton names of localities are condemned to fall into disuse, as in the region of Plouezoc’h where the names Lansalut, Coat Quiff, Porz ar Prat, Kervec, Kerall and Leoc’hen have now been erased.
A whole country is changing its name, and important elements of its culture and identity, before our very eyes. Francization prevails. For the wrong technical reasons, our Breton linguistic heritage is disappearing, in defiance of the commitments made by France when it ratified the UNESCO Convention on intangible heritage (2003)2.
The urgency of the situation is such that the Breton associations have decided to alert UNESCO in order to find solutions on how to inventory, protect and repair the damage that has already been inflicted on our Breton heritage over the years.
1 LOI n° 2022-217 du 21 février 2022 relative à la différenciation, la décentralisation, la déconcentration et portant diverses me- sures de simplification de l’action publique locale (1)
NOR : TERB2105196L ELI : https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/loi/2022/2/21/TERB2105196L/jo/texte Alias : https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/loi/2022/2/21/2022-217/jo/texte JORF n°0044 du 22 février 2022 Texte n° 3 Extrait du Journal officiel 2 https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
Following the Koun Breizh association’s application to UNESCO to have Breton toponymy included on the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, the association initially brought together a group of 12 Breton cultural associations to organise a conference on the subject of endangered Breton toponymy. The quality of the contributions made by the qualified speakers, all experienced players in the field of addressing, helped to identify relevant elements to support the proposal to protect this intangible toponymic heritage put forward by Koun Breizh and the collective.
The tendency to eradicate regional particularities is a constant in the profound actions of the central French state, which plays on time.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on France to:
• rule back the effect of the 3 DS Law no 2022-217 in the five Breton departments.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on UNESCO to:
• accept the request from the Breton Associations • condemn the French state for its lack of consideration of the terms of the Convention on intangible
heritage • include Breton Toponomy of the five Breton departments on the list of intangible cultural heritage
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-03
Macedonian Association “Ilinden” - Tirana
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Resolution on the Committee of National Minorities in Albania
The Committee of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania1 was founded in 2004 by the Albanian government as a central institution formed by the government with the goal of improving the protection of ethnic minorities in the country. As concluded in numerous reports by international institutions1 that are involved with the issue of minorities, this institution is liable to political interference and influence by the executive. A more independent body will support the dialogue between the government and the minorities and safeguard the national minorities in a better way.
Therefore, the Committee of National Minorities should become an independent and active voice of the minorities, able to participate in dialogue with the government to protect and improve the rights of the minorities in the Republic of Albania, and its work should be public and visible in the country’s media.
FUEN calls upon the government of the Republic of Albania to:
• consider changing the current Committee of National Minorities2 from a consultative body into an independent Agency of National Minorities that will have more serious and binding competences to affirm the national minorities in the Republic of Albania.
1 https://ilinden-tirana.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fifth-opinion-on-republic-of-albania-advisory-committee-on-the-frame- work-convention-for-the-protection-of-nacional-minorities-2023.pdf
https://upr-info.org/sites/default/files/documents/2014-04/coe_upr19_alb_e_annexe2_2.pdf https://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2019/Djordjevic.pdf
2 VKM nr 127 datë 11.03.2004. Për krijimin e Komitetit Shtetëror të Minoriteteve/ VKM No. 127 of 11.03.2004 For the establishment of the State Committee of Minorities
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-04
The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA)
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Revocation of the Registration of the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association
The rule of law in Greece has been seriously threatened and systematically violated in recent years. The Chapter on Greece of the 2023 Rule of Law Report published by the European Commission1 noted serious concerns about the justice system in the country, and the European Parliament (EP) adopted a critical resolution2
drawing attention to the worrying state of the rule of law in Greece on 7 February 2024.
The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace has been struggling with systematic discrimination in Greece for many years.
In the three cases, known as Bekir-Ousta and Others group v. Greece, involving the dissolved Xanthi Turkish Union (est. in 1927), the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association (est. in 1995 and the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi (est. in 2001), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled in 2007 and 2008 that Greece had violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights on freedom of assembly and association. For the past 16 years, Greece has persistently failed to execute the aforementioned ECtHR judgements, violating its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Furthermore, the Court of First Instance with a Single Judge of the Prefecture of Rodopi ruled on 28 May 2024, after a hearing on 6 September 2023, to revoke the registration of the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association, a fans’ association founded by Western Thrace Turks, on grounds that, although it was officially registered by the civil court of first instance in October 2022, the phrase ‘‘Western Thrace’’ in its name is contrary to the law and public order and poses a danger to the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country.
The decision to dissolve the newly founded Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association is a clear attack on rights and freedoms beyond the violation of the freedom of association. The aforementioned association is a fans’ association and has not acted in breach of its statutes to date; as stated in the indictment. It has not taken any action that threatens the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country.
1 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0069_EN.html 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/10bc40c8-b6f5-4ad4-8bde-b2ee4df33680_en?filename=21_1_52575_
coun_chap_greece_en.pdf
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
The decision to dissolve the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association shows that the ECtHR judgements and case-law are not taken into consideration by the Greek courts.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on Greece to:
• recognize the ethnic Turkish identity of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace must have the right to freely express and collectively exercise its Turkish identity in social, cultural, political, economic and public life.
• The freedom of associations of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace must be guaranteed, the court decision on the dissolution of the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association must be revoked.
• The judgements of the ECtHR in the Bekir-Ousta and Other group of cases must be fully and completely executed by Greece as a matter of urgency.
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-05
Association Plataforma per la Llengua
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Catalan – an official EU language
The Catalan language is an exception in the European Union. It is the 13th language of the Union in terms of the number of speakers, but it does not have the same recognition as many of the other European languages with fewer speakers. This lack of recognition is unusual, considering the language’s significance in terms of its number of speakers, economic impact, and cultural importance.
Since 1987, various regional governments and civil society organizations have persistently advocated for the official status of the Catalan language in the EU. This historical and continuous effort, a remarkable consensus among civil society, and a campaign carried out by Plataforma per la Llengua called “Say Yes!”1, led the Spanish State to request that Catalan and other co-official languages in Spain be recognized as official in the EU, and also allowing, for the first time, co-official languages to be spoken in the national Parliament.
The official status of Catalan is not a trivial matter. It serves as a crucial legal and political instrument to safeguard small and medium-sized languages, as well as minority languages, against the mounting pressures of globalization and the rapid advancements in new technologies and forms of communication. Spain’s request has yet to reach a vote, and it is still on the table. It is of great importance that member states are committed to taking this step to recognize diversity and improve citizens’ rights.
The Assembly of Delegates of FUEN calls on the member states of the European Union:
• to vote in favour of Catalan becoming an official EU language.
1 https://catalaoficial.eu/en/ On this website, you will find more information on this matter, frequently asked questions and argu- ments on why member states should say yes to Catalan becoming an official EU language.
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-06
Association Plataforma per la Llengua
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
In favor of the immersive education system in Catalonia
The Catalan public education immersion approach system has generally remained stable, enjoying a broad social and political consensus over the last 40 years with organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that have lauded the Catalan immersion approach1. However, it has suffered several judicial setbacks in the last few years. The Catalan school system is based on a linguistic immersion approach. It privileged Catalan as the main but not exclusive language of instruction, with the aim that at the end of their mandatory education, all children in the system effectively acquired fluency in both co-official languages Catalan and Spanish. This system is crucial because, without it, many children from Spanish-speaking environments would not learn Catalan properly, with Spanish being the majority language with more exposure and even prestige. A recent judicial development in relation to the Catalan education system has put an end to the current language immersion system. This development, which prevents Catalan from being the language of teaching, is a cause for concern. Now, the Court can force schools to change their course plan for all students at a whole school or just a classroom to implement the teaching of at least 25% of subjects in Spanish, meaning pre- school, primary and secondary education is not always available in Catalan. The UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues expressed concern about these rulings2. At the same time, it is important to note that this development has been damaging to defenders of Catalan. In the judicial procedure of execution, two organizations and two trade unions that defend Catalan speakers’ interests were denied participation. These entities were dismissed on the pretext that the sentence does not affect Catalan but rather Spanish. Instead, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia allowed an entity in defence of the Spanish language to request the execution of the sentence. Moreover, through the EU Committee on Petitions and its previous chair, the European Parliament promoted the views of Spanish nationalists against immersion, with biased and partisan interventions, a hearing3 and a mission to Catalonia4.
1 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000059089/PDF/059073engo.pdf.multi.nameddest=59089 2 https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/que-fem/en_noticies/107/un-expresses-concern-about-the-situation-of-catalan-in-schools-
and-calls-for-a-review-of-the-rulings-against-immersion-made-by-the-high-court-of-justice-of-catalonia. 3 https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/que-fem/en_noticies/84/we-call-upon-the-president-of-the-european-parlia-
ment-to-stop-dolors-montserrats-attacks-against-catalan-via-european-institutions 4 https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/que-fem/en_noticies/110/the-committee-chaired-by-dolors-montserrat-in-the-europe-
an-parliament-promotes-the-views-of-spanish-nationalists-against-immersion-following-the-visit-of-meps
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The Assembly of Delegates of FUEN calls on:
• The European Parliament to work towards on its compromise to safeguard the rights of linguistic minorities in accordance with the EU treaties and values of the EU.
• The Spanish State, as stated by the UN Rapporteur on Minority Issues, to consider that reducing the use of the Catalan language in the successful immersion programme in Catalonia would run the risk of children and pupils from Spanish-speaking backgrounds from learning Catalan well, as it is a minority language.
• The Spanish judiciary to review and reconsider the ruling that Spanish teaching should constitute at least 25% of all teaching in primary and secondary schools in Catalonia.
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RESOLUTION 2024-07
Main submitter Frasche Rädj/Frisian Council Section North supported by Friisk Foriining, Domowina – Union of Lusatian Sorbs, EBLUL Germany, South Schleswig Association SSF, Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Registration of general terms in regional and minority languages as protected commercial trademarks
Minority and regional languages should be better protected in the examination of EU trademark applications. In recent years there have been repeated cases in which companies have registered words or expressions such as place names, the name of the language or general slogans and words in minority or regional languages as European or national trademarks jeopardizing the free use of these terms by third parties. The FUEN reaffirms its view that all languages, including minority and regional languages, should be treated equally also during trademark registrations. Criteria for expressions in minority/regional languages concerning trademark registrations should be clarified. Furthermore, it is utmost importance that the EU trademark regulation is applied with full respect for fundamental rights, including non-discrimination based on language and linguistic diversity.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on the European Union and the Member States
• to prevent any unequal legal treatment of regional and minority languages in the commercial and business sphere,
• to revise any existing legal or procedural provisions in the field that could harm minority or regional languages,
• to reinforce provisions concerning the application of trademark law that terms commonly used in the respective regional or minority languages are excluded and cannot obtain commercial trademark protection,
• to make sure that the criterion for assessing the eligibility of names for trademark protection is not the comprehensibility from the point of view of the wider public, but the use within the language communities of the regional or minority languages.
The European Commission is called upon
• to take concrete steps to better protect and promote regional and minority languages in the EU, including within trade mark practices.
• to consider the amendment of Article 7 of the EU regulation on the European trade mark (EU regulation on the European trade mark) and include expressions in minority or regional languages to the grounds of registration refusal (in particular under No. 1 (c) and (d)).
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RESOLUTION 2024-08
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
On the protection of the indigeous peoples the Crimean Tatars and the autochthonous national minorities in Ukraine.
We strongly condemn Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, as a result of which the indigenous peoples and national minorities of Ukraine are also suffering and demand an immediate withdrawal of the Russian troops from all occupied territories of Ukraine. We call on the EU and the international community to provide appropriate assistance to Ukraine and commend its efforts in reforming legislation in the field of the indigenous peoples and the national minorities.
FUEN calls on Ukraine to
• develop an inclusive post-war minority policy and to consider ethno-linguistic diversity as an asset of Ukrainian society and an integral part of the pan-Ukrainian identity.
• involve minorities in the process of constructive consultation through their organisations, minority experts in advisory councils to legislative and executive bodies at local, regional and national levels.
• finalise the legal status of the representative body of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people – the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars.
FUEN calls on the Russian Federation
• in accordance with international humanitarian law and Russian domestic legislation, to release from detention representatives of the Crimean Tatar people who have diseases due to which they cannot stay in penitentiary institutions. We remind that keeping seriously ill people in detention is equivalent to torture.
• to release all political prisoners, civil hostages, including representatives of the indigenous peoples – the Crimean Tatars, who are in places of detention in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the territory of the Russian Federation.
• to ensure access to proper medical care for the citizens of Ukraine, in particular Crimean Tatars, who are in places of detention in the occupied territories and the territory of the Russian Federation
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FUEN calls on the European Union institutions
• to support measures to help preserve ethnic and linguistic diversity in Ukraine, especially in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria for admission.
• to allocate additional resources to help representatives of indigenous peoples and national minorities displaced by war to maintain their collective identity while under temporary protection in the EU.
• to condemn the torture and inhuman treatment committed by Russia against Crimean Tatars in the occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula.
• to initiate a special event aimed at ensuring the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities of Ukraine in accordance with the international obligations undertaken by Ukraine: “EU enlargement and the rights of indigenous peoples and autochthonous national minorities.”
FUEN Flensburg / Flensborg Schiffbrücke 42
D-24939 Flensburg Phone: +49 461 12855
FUEN Berlin Reinhardtstraße 27b
D-10117 Berlin Phone: +49 30 364 284 050
FUEN Brussel / Bruxelles Rue d’Arlon 25
B-1050 Bruxelles Phone: +32 2 627 18 22
[email protected] | www.fuen.org
ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES IN HUSUM • HÜSEM
Federal Union of European Nationalities
RESOLUTIONS 2024
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RESOLUTIONS 2024
FUEN Congress Main Resolution 2024 On developing a European Legal Framework for Minority Protection and Promotion
Resolution 2024 – 01 Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROISDER)
Resolution 2024 – 02 Cultural Institute of Brittany (ICB)
Resolution 2024 – 03 Macedonian Association “Ilinden” - Tirana
Resolution 2024 – 04 Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA)
Resolution 2024 – 05 Association Plafaforma per la Llengua
Resolution 2024 – 06 Association Plafaforma per la Llengua
Resolution 2024 – 07 Main submitter Frasche Rädj/Frisian Council Section North supported by Friisk Foriining, Domowina – Union of Lusatian Sorbs, EBLUL Germany,
South Schleswig Association SSF, Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
Resolution 2024 – 08 Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
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FUEN CONGRESS MAIN RESOLUTION 2024
On developing a European Legal Framework for Minority Protection and Promotion
The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at its Assembly of Delegates on 21 September 2024 in Husum • Hüsem:
The situation of several autochthonous national and linguistic minorities worldwide, and particularly in Europe, is deteriorating, with a concerning decline in minority protection. This was the main conclusion of the ‘Ewald Ammende’ International Expert Conference, organized by FUEN on 3-4 March in Brussels. The conference recommended that FUEN advocate for a comprehensive EU legal framework with clear protection standards to effectively safeguard and promote the rights of national and linguistic minorities, including their culture, language, and identity, and to launch a new cooperation forum for civil society organisations focused on minority rights.
With regard to the European Union
1. FUEN calls for the establishment of a comprehensive EU legal framework for the protection and promotion of national and linguistic minorities in Europe and a recognition that they represent a benefit of every society. This framework should set a common European policy standard that ensures the full respect of both collective and individual human rights for persons belonging to national or linguistic minorities, allowing them to live as equal citizens in all aspects of private and public life.
2. National and linguistic minorities must receive greater attention within the EU institutions and should become an integral part of one of the new Commissioners’ portfolios. FUEN urges the EU institutions, to actively support in collaboration with Member States the cultural and linguistic diversity represented by national and linguistic minorities as a fundamental aspect of the European way of life.
3. FUEN calls on the new European Commission to re-evaluate the proposals of the Minority SafePack European Citizens’ Initiative (MSPI), which was supported by more than one million citizens and a large majority of the European Parliament. The Commission should develop a European strategy and legal measures based on the MSPI.
4. The Commission should set up an advisory body to offer expertise in policymaking and implementation of EU legislation concerning traditional national and linguistic minorities in the EU and its neighborhood.
5. Following the European Council’s decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, FUEN urges the EU institutions to ensure that the candidate countries and also all EU member states fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, including improving their legal frameworks on the protection of national minorities.
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6. FUEN strongly supports the re-establishment of the European Parliament Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages, which is for the time being the only forum within the EU institutions dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by linguistic and autochthonous minorities in the EU and neighborhood.
With regard to the Council of Europe
7. The Council of Europe should prioritize and reinforce minority protection on the organization’s agenda and strengthen the cooperation with civil society active in the field of minority protection by facilitating their participation as observers in its dedicated bodies.
8. FUEN deplores that despite its longstanding consultative status by the Council of Europe, the Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) decided in June 2024 not to admit FUEN as observer. FUEN reaffirms its key objective to combat discrimination against national minorities, promote their diversity and ensure their full inclusion in society. FUEN commits to maintain a critical voice when member states take measures negatively affecting national minorities or when they tolerate discriminatory actions against them.
9. FUEN recommends establishing a designated parliamentary body on autochthonous national minorities within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to ensure systemic dialogue and cooperation between representatives from all Council of Europe member states on minority protection, as envisaged by the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML).
With regard to the United Nations
10. Acknowledging the significant work of the UN on minority issues at the global level, FUEN recommends the establishment of a permanent Forum on Minority Issues. The Forum should coordinate efforts relating to the rights and concerns of minorities, provide first-hand information and expertise on minority protection and promote dialogue on minority issues.
11. FUEN strongly supports the efforts of the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, and encourages him to engage in a continuous and meaningful exchange with civil society active in the field of minority protection and encourage member states to enhance their consultative channels with minorities.
With regard to the civil society
12. FUEN seeks to enhance cooperation among European civil society organisations representing traditional national and linguistic minorities by establishing a European Minority Council to synchronise efforts and better represent the voices and interests of national minorities.
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RESOLUTION 2024-01
Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROISDER)
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Stop verbal attacks against Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks in the Greek Parliament
The Greek State puts forward the thesis that „There are no Turks in the Dodecanese”, only „Greek Muslims”. On this account, Greek Deputy Mrs. Fotini Pipili made a speech against ROISDER and its president Mustafa Kaymakçı at the 98th Parliamentary Session of the Hellenic Parliament on Monday, March 22, 2022, and accordingly, this approach was shared in the minutes presented in response to the parliamentary question on this particular subject.
As The General Assembly of FUEN we point out two international documents proving and validating the Turkish presence in the Dodecanese1. There is no doubt about the presence of Turks and their culture in the Dodecanese!
As FUEN, we would like to indicate that this situation that has arisen in the Hellenic Parliament against ROISDER has an intolerant approach towards the civil society and also directly points to a prejudicial attitude towards the representatives of the Turkish community in Rhodes and Kos.
As FUEN, we declare that destruction or ignorance of any cultural identity cannot be the appropriate approach; accordingly, the protection and development of Turkish cultural identity in Rhodes and Kos should be one of the primary obligations of Greece, a member of the European Union.
FUEN calls on the Parliament in Greece to:
• Stop the verbal attacks on the Turk cultural and Solidarity organisation ROISDER and accept the presence of Turks in the Dodecanese!
1 Resolution of the Council of Europe “The Situation of Greek Citizens of Turkish Origin in Rhodes and Kos”, adopted by the Stand- ing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on March 09 2012 and Fautré, W., 2017.”Greece: Ethnic Turks in Rhodes and Kos under Greek Rule”. Federal Union of European Nations (FUEN) Brussels, January 2017.
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RESOLUTION 2024-02
Cultural Institute of Brittany (ICB)
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Endangered Place Names In Brittany (France)
In France the application of the 3DS Law n° 2022-2171 on 21 September 2022 is leading to the debretonnisation of our countryside.
According to article 169 of this law: „The municipal council shall name the roads and localities, including private roads open to traffic”. All municipalities must name the roads and localities, give a number to each user and provide addressing in Local Address Base format in the National Address Base, according to the unilateral standards of the Post Office.
These operations have not yet been completed for small municipalities. The communes are applying this law, in conjunction with the Post Office, often choosing a French name for roads that previously had no name, leading to the gradual disappearance of the Breton place names. At the Post Office’s request, they mix French and Breton by adding „rue”( street) or „chemin”(road) to a Breton-language name. For technical reasons, locality names sometimes disappear when they are entered into the Local Address database.
Deprived of addressing, the Breton names of localities are condemned to fall into disuse, as in the region of Plouezoc’h where the names Lansalut, Coat Quiff, Porz ar Prat, Kervec, Kerall and Leoc’hen have now been erased.
A whole country is changing its name, and important elements of its culture and identity, before our very eyes. Francization prevails. For the wrong technical reasons, our Breton linguistic heritage is disappearing, in defiance of the commitments made by France when it ratified the UNESCO Convention on intangible heritage (2003)2.
The urgency of the situation is such that the Breton associations have decided to alert UNESCO in order to find solutions on how to inventory, protect and repair the damage that has already been inflicted on our Breton heritage over the years.
1 LOI n° 2022-217 du 21 février 2022 relative à la différenciation, la décentralisation, la déconcentration et portant diverses me- sures de simplification de l’action publique locale (1)
NOR : TERB2105196L ELI : https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/loi/2022/2/21/TERB2105196L/jo/texte Alias : https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/loi/2022/2/21/2022-217/jo/texte JORF n°0044 du 22 février 2022 Texte n° 3 Extrait du Journal officiel 2 https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention
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Following the Koun Breizh association’s application to UNESCO to have Breton toponymy included on the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, the association initially brought together a group of 12 Breton cultural associations to organise a conference on the subject of endangered Breton toponymy. The quality of the contributions made by the qualified speakers, all experienced players in the field of addressing, helped to identify relevant elements to support the proposal to protect this intangible toponymic heritage put forward by Koun Breizh and the collective.
The tendency to eradicate regional particularities is a constant in the profound actions of the central French state, which plays on time.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on France to:
• rule back the effect of the 3 DS Law no 2022-217 in the five Breton departments.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on UNESCO to:
• accept the request from the Breton Associations • condemn the French state for its lack of consideration of the terms of the Convention on intangible
heritage • include Breton Toponomy of the five Breton departments on the list of intangible cultural heritage
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RESOLUTION 2024-03
Macedonian Association “Ilinden” - Tirana
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Resolution on the Committee of National Minorities in Albania
The Committee of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania1 was founded in 2004 by the Albanian government as a central institution formed by the government with the goal of improving the protection of ethnic minorities in the country. As concluded in numerous reports by international institutions1 that are involved with the issue of minorities, this institution is liable to political interference and influence by the executive. A more independent body will support the dialogue between the government and the minorities and safeguard the national minorities in a better way.
Therefore, the Committee of National Minorities should become an independent and active voice of the minorities, able to participate in dialogue with the government to protect and improve the rights of the minorities in the Republic of Albania, and its work should be public and visible in the country’s media.
FUEN calls upon the government of the Republic of Albania to:
• consider changing the current Committee of National Minorities2 from a consultative body into an independent Agency of National Minorities that will have more serious and binding competences to affirm the national minorities in the Republic of Albania.
1 https://ilinden-tirana.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fifth-opinion-on-republic-of-albania-advisory-committee-on-the-frame- work-convention-for-the-protection-of-nacional-minorities-2023.pdf
https://upr-info.org/sites/default/files/documents/2014-04/coe_upr19_alb_e_annexe2_2.pdf https://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2019/Djordjevic.pdf
2 VKM nr 127 datë 11.03.2004. Për krijimin e Komitetit Shtetëror të Minoriteteve/ VKM No. 127 of 11.03.2004 For the establishment of the State Committee of Minorities
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RESOLUTION 2024-04
The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA)
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Revocation of the Registration of the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association
The rule of law in Greece has been seriously threatened and systematically violated in recent years. The Chapter on Greece of the 2023 Rule of Law Report published by the European Commission1 noted serious concerns about the justice system in the country, and the European Parliament (EP) adopted a critical resolution2
drawing attention to the worrying state of the rule of law in Greece on 7 February 2024.
The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace has been struggling with systematic discrimination in Greece for many years.
In the three cases, known as Bekir-Ousta and Others group v. Greece, involving the dissolved Xanthi Turkish Union (est. in 1927), the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association (est. in 1995 and the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi (est. in 2001), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled in 2007 and 2008 that Greece had violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights on freedom of assembly and association. For the past 16 years, Greece has persistently failed to execute the aforementioned ECtHR judgements, violating its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Furthermore, the Court of First Instance with a Single Judge of the Prefecture of Rodopi ruled on 28 May 2024, after a hearing on 6 September 2023, to revoke the registration of the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association, a fans’ association founded by Western Thrace Turks, on grounds that, although it was officially registered by the civil court of first instance in October 2022, the phrase ‘‘Western Thrace’’ in its name is contrary to the law and public order and poses a danger to the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country.
The decision to dissolve the newly founded Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association is a clear attack on rights and freedoms beyond the violation of the freedom of association. The aforementioned association is a fans’ association and has not acted in breach of its statutes to date; as stated in the indictment. It has not taken any action that threatens the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country.
1 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0069_EN.html 2 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/10bc40c8-b6f5-4ad4-8bde-b2ee4df33680_en?filename=21_1_52575_
coun_chap_greece_en.pdf
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The decision to dissolve the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association shows that the ECtHR judgements and case-law are not taken into consideration by the Greek courts.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on Greece to:
• recognize the ethnic Turkish identity of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace must have the right to freely express and collectively exercise its Turkish identity in social, cultural, political, economic and public life.
• The freedom of associations of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace must be guaranteed, the court decision on the dissolution of the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Culture and Sports Association must be revoked.
• The judgements of the ECtHR in the Bekir-Ousta and Other group of cases must be fully and completely executed by Greece as a matter of urgency.
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RESOLUTION 2024-05
Association Plataforma per la Llengua
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Catalan – an official EU language
The Catalan language is an exception in the European Union. It is the 13th language of the Union in terms of the number of speakers, but it does not have the same recognition as many of the other European languages with fewer speakers. This lack of recognition is unusual, considering the language’s significance in terms of its number of speakers, economic impact, and cultural importance.
Since 1987, various regional governments and civil society organizations have persistently advocated for the official status of the Catalan language in the EU. This historical and continuous effort, a remarkable consensus among civil society, and a campaign carried out by Plataforma per la Llengua called “Say Yes!”1, led the Spanish State to request that Catalan and other co-official languages in Spain be recognized as official in the EU, and also allowing, for the first time, co-official languages to be spoken in the national Parliament.
The official status of Catalan is not a trivial matter. It serves as a crucial legal and political instrument to safeguard small and medium-sized languages, as well as minority languages, against the mounting pressures of globalization and the rapid advancements in new technologies and forms of communication. Spain’s request has yet to reach a vote, and it is still on the table. It is of great importance that member states are committed to taking this step to recognize diversity and improve citizens’ rights.
The Assembly of Delegates of FUEN calls on the member states of the European Union:
• to vote in favour of Catalan becoming an official EU language.
1 https://catalaoficial.eu/en/ On this website, you will find more information on this matter, frequently asked questions and argu- ments on why member states should say yes to Catalan becoming an official EU language.
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RESOLUTION 2024-06
Association Plataforma per la Llengua
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
In favor of the immersive education system in Catalonia
The Catalan public education immersion approach system has generally remained stable, enjoying a broad social and political consensus over the last 40 years with organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that have lauded the Catalan immersion approach1. However, it has suffered several judicial setbacks in the last few years. The Catalan school system is based on a linguistic immersion approach. It privileged Catalan as the main but not exclusive language of instruction, with the aim that at the end of their mandatory education, all children in the system effectively acquired fluency in both co-official languages Catalan and Spanish. This system is crucial because, without it, many children from Spanish-speaking environments would not learn Catalan properly, with Spanish being the majority language with more exposure and even prestige. A recent judicial development in relation to the Catalan education system has put an end to the current language immersion system. This development, which prevents Catalan from being the language of teaching, is a cause for concern. Now, the Court can force schools to change their course plan for all students at a whole school or just a classroom to implement the teaching of at least 25% of subjects in Spanish, meaning pre- school, primary and secondary education is not always available in Catalan. The UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues expressed concern about these rulings2. At the same time, it is important to note that this development has been damaging to defenders of Catalan. In the judicial procedure of execution, two organizations and two trade unions that defend Catalan speakers’ interests were denied participation. These entities were dismissed on the pretext that the sentence does not affect Catalan but rather Spanish. Instead, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia allowed an entity in defence of the Spanish language to request the execution of the sentence. Moreover, through the EU Committee on Petitions and its previous chair, the European Parliament promoted the views of Spanish nationalists against immersion, with biased and partisan interventions, a hearing3 and a mission to Catalonia4.
1 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000059089/PDF/059073engo.pdf.multi.nameddest=59089 2 https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/que-fem/en_noticies/107/un-expresses-concern-about-the-situation-of-catalan-in-schools-
and-calls-for-a-review-of-the-rulings-against-immersion-made-by-the-high-court-of-justice-of-catalonia. 3 https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/que-fem/en_noticies/84/we-call-upon-the-president-of-the-european-parlia-
ment-to-stop-dolors-montserrats-attacks-against-catalan-via-european-institutions 4 https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/que-fem/en_noticies/110/the-committee-chaired-by-dolors-montserrat-in-the-europe-
an-parliament-promotes-the-views-of-spanish-nationalists-against-immersion-following-the-visit-of-meps
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The Assembly of Delegates of FUEN calls on:
• The European Parliament to work towards on its compromise to safeguard the rights of linguistic minorities in accordance with the EU treaties and values of the EU.
• The Spanish State, as stated by the UN Rapporteur on Minority Issues, to consider that reducing the use of the Catalan language in the successful immersion programme in Catalonia would run the risk of children and pupils from Spanish-speaking backgrounds from learning Catalan well, as it is a minority language.
• The Spanish judiciary to review and reconsider the ruling that Spanish teaching should constitute at least 25% of all teaching in primary and secondary schools in Catalonia.
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RESOLUTION 2024-07
Main submitter Frasche Rädj/Frisian Council Section North supported by Friisk Foriining, Domowina – Union of Lusatian Sorbs, EBLUL Germany, South Schleswig Association SSF, Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
Registration of general terms in regional and minority languages as protected commercial trademarks
Minority and regional languages should be better protected in the examination of EU trademark applications. In recent years there have been repeated cases in which companies have registered words or expressions such as place names, the name of the language or general slogans and words in minority or regional languages as European or national trademarks jeopardizing the free use of these terms by third parties. The FUEN reaffirms its view that all languages, including minority and regional languages, should be treated equally also during trademark registrations. Criteria for expressions in minority/regional languages concerning trademark registrations should be clarified. Furthermore, it is utmost importance that the EU trademark regulation is applied with full respect for fundamental rights, including non-discrimination based on language and linguistic diversity.
The FUEN Assembly of Delegates calls on the European Union and the Member States
• to prevent any unequal legal treatment of regional and minority languages in the commercial and business sphere,
• to revise any existing legal or procedural provisions in the field that could harm minority or regional languages,
• to reinforce provisions concerning the application of trademark law that terms commonly used in the respective regional or minority languages are excluded and cannot obtain commercial trademark protection,
• to make sure that the criterion for assessing the eligibility of names for trademark protection is not the comprehensibility from the point of view of the wider public, but the use within the language communities of the regional or minority languages.
The European Commission is called upon
• to take concrete steps to better protect and promote regional and minority languages in the EU, including within trade mark practices.
• to consider the amendment of Article 7 of the EU regulation on the European trade mark (EU regulation on the European trade mark) and include expressions in minority or regional languages to the grounds of registration refusal (in particular under No. 1 (c) and (d)).
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
RESOLUTION 2024-08
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
The Delegates of the Member Organisations of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) adopted the following resolution at their Assembly of Delegates in Husum/Hüsem, Germany on 21 September 2024:
On the protection of the indigeous peoples the Crimean Tatars and the autochthonous national minorities in Ukraine.
We strongly condemn Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, as a result of which the indigenous peoples and national minorities of Ukraine are also suffering and demand an immediate withdrawal of the Russian troops from all occupied territories of Ukraine. We call on the EU and the international community to provide appropriate assistance to Ukraine and commend its efforts in reforming legislation in the field of the indigenous peoples and the national minorities.
FUEN calls on Ukraine to
• develop an inclusive post-war minority policy and to consider ethno-linguistic diversity as an asset of Ukrainian society and an integral part of the pan-Ukrainian identity.
• involve minorities in the process of constructive consultation through their organisations, minority experts in advisory councils to legislative and executive bodies at local, regional and national levels.
• finalise the legal status of the representative body of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people – the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars.
FUEN calls on the Russian Federation
• in accordance with international humanitarian law and Russian domestic legislation, to release from detention representatives of the Crimean Tatar people who have diseases due to which they cannot stay in penitentiary institutions. We remind that keeping seriously ill people in detention is equivalent to torture.
• to release all political prisoners, civil hostages, including representatives of the indigenous peoples – the Crimean Tatars, who are in places of detention in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the territory of the Russian Federation.
• to ensure access to proper medical care for the citizens of Ukraine, in particular Crimean Tatars, who are in places of detention in the occupied territories and the territory of the Russian Federation
FUEN ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES 2024 • FUEN DELEGIERTENVERSAMMLUNG 2024 • СОБРАНИЕ ДЕЛЕГАТОВ ФСЕНМ 2024
FUEN calls on the European Union institutions
• to support measures to help preserve ethnic and linguistic diversity in Ukraine, especially in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria for admission.
• to allocate additional resources to help representatives of indigenous peoples and national minorities displaced by war to maintain their collective identity while under temporary protection in the EU.
• to condemn the torture and inhuman treatment committed by Russia against Crimean Tatars in the occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula.
• to initiate a special event aimed at ensuring the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities of Ukraine in accordance with the international obligations undertaken by Ukraine: “EU enlargement and the rights of indigenous peoples and autochthonous national minorities.”
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