An affront to diversity: EU turns its back on minorities

An affront to diversity: EU turns its back on minorities

We are currently witnessing discontent in the European minority regions, and the anger is directed at the European Commission. 50 million people in the European Union belong to an ethnic minority or speak a regional or minority language, and a total number of 1.2 million people from the EU have spoken out – in a citizens' initiative, the Minority SafePack Initiative – for more minority rights and for the promotion of Europe's linguistic diversity. The European Commission has now responded, brushing aside all demands.

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) thus addressed a letter to the President of the European Commission, Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, criticizing the decision in clear terms. 

The minorities of Europe had to address the European Court of Justice (ECJ) twice to at least be able to articulate their wishes. They prevailed both times, legally, also against the European Commission. The proposals presented by the minorities are moderate in their political orientation, focusing on negotiations about details, and they are coherent in their content. Nevertheless, the Commission decided to reject all the suggestions. According to the Society for Threatened Peoples, this decision is a slap in the face not only of the 1.2 million people who supported this initiative with their signatures, but also of the more than 50 million people who belong to an autochthonous minority or speak a regional or minority language in the EU.

"The Commission should be aware that the linguistic minorities and ethnic groups will not bow to the decision of the EU Commission. The centralist and pro-national decision of the Commission will fuel the aspirations for independence in Corsica, in Catalonia, in the Basque Region, and in Transylvania. The signal from Brussels is that only autonomy guarantees identity," stated Wolfgang Mayr, President of the Society for Threatened Peoples International.

"What is so problematic about the response is the political signal. It could have been easy not to slam the door shut completely, and to try and find a basis for talks with the linguistic minorities and ethnic groups – through smaller concessions. However, the Commission decided to send an unambiguous message: the concerns of the minorities will not be discussed in the context of the EU," criticized Jan Diedrichsen, Federal Chairman of the STP.

Further information on the citizens' initiative is provided by the initiators of the "Federal Union of European Nationalities", the umbrella organization of the autochthonous minorities of Europe.

The letter of the STP to the President of the European Commission can be found in the appendix.

Contact

Jan Diedrichsen: j.diedrichsen@gfbv.de or +49 171 – 726 76 32

Wolfgang Mayr: w.mayr@rai.it or +39 335 – 131 82 03