Little optimism for the future

‘Surviving 75 years is an achievement in itself,’ said Loránt Vincze, President of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), at the anniversary congress in Husum, the capital of the North Frisian community in Schleswig-Holstein. However, there was no celebratory atmosphere as everyone is aware that the national minorities in Europe have little to be optimistic about. Instead, the delegates discussed new strategies.

To this end, the former UN Special rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, and Paul Videsott, the scientific director of the South Tyrolean Institute of Ethnic Groups, analysed the current situation of minorities.

‘It is going rather backwards,’ said de Varennes, pointing out that states are restricting the use of regional and minority languages more and more, from Russia and Ukraine to France. A dangerous precedent was set by a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, according to which it is lawful for Latvia to prohibit the teaching of Russian in private schools.

‘Legally binding regulations are needed at EU level,’ de Varennes stated. For 20 years, however, there has not only been a lack of progress, but also a number of setbacks, particularly in the field of education. Governments are increasingly actively hostile towards minorities. An attempt should be made to establish a permanent forum for minority issues in the EU and a team of experts should be assembled to provide support in legal disputes. The decisions of the European Court of Human Rights should also be regularly analysed.

‘Many people have the impression that national minorities in Europe are doing well; they often think of Catalonia and South Tyrol,’ said Paul Videsott. But this is not true: ‘There are 360 minorities in Europe and two-thirds are in decline,’ Videsott stated. The minority languages are in dramatic trouble. ‘In the past, languages were passed down through families. But today, although in 90 percent of cases the grandparents still speak the minority language, among the grandchildren the figure is only nine percent,’ Videsott explained. Therefore, the language must be passed on at school. And to that end, all means must be used: ‘The mobile phone is the pencil of the 21st century,’ said Videsott, ‘if the language of the minority cannot be found there, it will perish.’

FUEN should develop 10 clear, common goals and formulate ready-made proposals so that it can be on the scene immediately when a window of opportunity opens somewhere. The protection of minorities must be put into a positive context, away from the caricature of secessionist tendencies and the insinuations of micro-nationalism. ‘Protecting minorities means peace and prosperity for all; minorities are not a danger, but enriched,’ Videsott concluded.

Note: This article gives the views of the author and does not represent the position of the European Association of Daily Newspapers in Minority and Regional Languages (MIDAS) or Eurac Research.