MINELRES: ECMI Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 2 (June 2005)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sat Jun 25 12:36:41 2005
Original sender: William McKinney <[email protected]>
European Centre for Minority Issues
Volume 2, Issue 2
June 2005
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Contents
1. Enhancing Minority Governance in Romania
2. ECMI initiates Project on Anti-discrimination
3. Development of New ECMI Programme in Ukraine
4. ECMI assists Kosovo's Standards Process
5. Romani Expert Groups for Romani Integration
6. Enhancing Minority Governance in Bulgaria
7. Serbia & Montenegro Union Ministry Support Initiative
8. The Lisbon Strategy and Ethnic Minorities
9. External Publications by ECMI Staff
10. New ECMI Publications
11. Calendar of Events
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1. Enhancing Minority Governance in Romania
The first few months of 2005 have been an eventful period for ECMI's
Romania project. At the beginning of February, ECMI held a meeting in
Romania for some of the members of the drafting committee of the status
law on national minorities. At this meeting Professors David J. Smith
and John Hiden discussed the theories and practicalities of cultural
autonomy as a concept and provided a case study example of cultural
autonomy in practice in Estonia. The deputy prime minister and the head
of the DRI (Department for Inter-Ethnic Relations) also attended this
meeting.
In order to ensure greater stakeholder participation in the drafting of
the law, ECMI also organised a series of roundtables. The first of these
took place on 17-19 March in Sinaia, Romania, which included the DRI,
several national minority deputies from the Chamber of Deputies and the
leaders of the organizations that sit on the Council of National
Minorities. During this meeting short presentations were made on the
problems of trying to define national minorities, the status of national
minority organizations under Romanian law and cultural autonomy.
The meeting was well attended, with the deputies being very forthcoming
and constructive in the discussions. They voiced their concerns and put
forward suggestions for the law. At the meeting the national minority
deputies were able to comment on the law and were also given the
opportunity to learn more about the law before it became finalized and
entered into the comment period.
In an effort to expand stakeholder involvement further still, ECMI,
along with the DRI, co-sponsored a second roundtable meeting in Sinaia,
Romania on 16-17 April. This roundtable incorporated various
organizations from the NGO/civil society sector. These groups mostly
included those that worked in the field of human rights and/or minority
rights. The intention was to provide civil society representatives with
an opportunity to make comments on the law, with a view to having their
suggestions incorporated into the law by the drafters. In similar
fashion to the national minority deputies in the previous meeting, the
NGOs were very well prepared and proactive in their discussions about
the law. As was hoped, the drafters in fact included several of the
suggestions put forward by the NGOs into the draft.
With this meeting ECMI has been breaking new ground in terms of
including stakeholders into the law drafting process in Romania,
particularly with minority NGOs. Those that were involved were very
pleased to have been able to take such an active part in the
construction of the draft law. Several people noted that this was the
first time any of the NGOs had had direct consultation with the
government about a draft law.
ECMI was also involved in providing information to ministers and
legislators about the international standards concerning the major
issues of the draft law. As of the beginning of June, the Government has
approved the draft law and it was submitted to the parliament. The
Senate passed the draft law and the only hurdle left is the Chamber of
Deputies.
Once approved, the law will implement the Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities. Most importantly, the law contains a
definition of a national minority, not unlike other European states.
Under current Romanian law, national minority NGOs are entitled to
undertake politics activities and participate in national and local
election. Under the national minority law, a clear distinction is
created between NGOs and political parties. Most importantly, the law
grants minorities the chance to form institutions for cultural autonomy,
which will allow the minority communities to take control of the
important issues of education, language, culture and media.
Currently, ECMI and the DRI are in discussions about organizing a public
event/press conference about the law. As there has been some resistance
to the law from the government, it is hoped that public support for the
law may assist its passage.
ECMI is also gearing up for the second phase of the project, namely,
training the new legal unit of the DRI on the human rights monitoring
cycle (e.g., how to design monitoring programmes; monitor, report and
develop recommendations; and work on implementing the recommendations).
This training will most likely begin in July or August and is expected
to last from 1-2 months.
The project has been generously funded by the United Kingdom's Global
Conflict Prevention Fund and is overseen by the British Embassy in
Bucharest. Reports for the first three events can be found on ECMI's
homepage at www.ecmi.de and on the Romania website at:
www.ecmiromania.org. For further information on the project please see
the website or contact the project's manager, D. Christopher Decker,
Senior Research Associate, at: [email protected].
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2. ECMI Initiates Project on Anti-discrimination
In April 2005 the ECMI Legal Team developed a project entitled
"Combating Racism and Xenophobia in South-eastern Europe through
Capacity Building", which aims to address the implementation of the
European Union's Race Directive and anti-discrimination legislation in
South-Eastern Europe. The project is scheduled to start in 2006.
The goal of the project is to combat racism and xenophobia through
capacity building on legislative approaches to anti-discrimination in
South-Eastern Europe. The primary focus will be on Albania, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro, due to the
large presence of national and ethnic minorities in these countries and
the problems faced by these groups in terms of discrimination and
xenophobia. The target groups will be provided with training on issues
of racism and discrimination, as well as the means to improve or
implement anti-discrimination legislation and the European Union's Race
Directive. Compliance with the latter is essential in a regional
perspective with regard to the potential future enlargement of the EU.
NGOs trained on these issues will in turn educate the national
population on racism and xenophobia, existing legislation, remedies
available to victims, and on the general behavioural attitudes to be
adopted.
The background of this project lies in the European Union's adoption of
the Race Directive (Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000,
implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons
irrespective of racial or ethnic origin). European Union Member States
have had to fully transpose this Directive into their national
legislation. The Directive prohibits all forms of racial discrimination
in the areas of employment, education, social security, health care and
access to goods and services. Those who are victims of racial
discrimination will have rights of redress in all Members States. Under
the Directive, each Member State is required to have a body for the
promotion of equal treatment and to provide independent assistance to
victims of racism in pursuing complaints.
For more information on the project please contact Project Director
Alcidia Moucheboeuf, Research Associate at [email protected]
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3. Development of New ECMI Programme in Ukraine
The November-December 2004 events in Ukraine - which are now often
described as the Orange Revolution - created a strong impetus for the
consolidation of democratic institutions in Ukraine. Hundreds of
thousands of people, who took to the cold winter streets in peaceful,
non-stop demonstrations against the semi-authoritarian political regime,
demanded an end to the corrupt practices of the past and a radical
overhaul of state-society relations in Ukraine. These events represent a
watershed for what has always been the dream behind the century-long
quest for Ukraine's independence: for the promise of a free and fair
society in a new European state.
The Orange Revolution brought about a new government and reinvigorated
civil society. The first few months after the revolution have been
characterized by some radical changes in political life, bureaucratic
organization and civic activism. Ukraine now enjoys unprecedented levels
of press freedom, government openness and political and civic
participation. Nonetheless, skepticism over the new authorities' ability
to deliver on
all pre-election promises is growing. This skepticism, however, has not
become widespread yet. Recent public opinion polls registered unusually
high (for Ukraine) levels of public support for the actions of the new
president and cabinet. It seems like the new authorities are inclined to
deliver on their promises.
At the same time, both the Orange Revolution and the events and
developments that followed that dramatic period revealed very
significant tensions and divisions in Ukraine. These frictions are
articulated along regional and ethnic lines and they pose a significant
threat for Ukrainian society at large. If left unaddressed, they might
threaten not only the success of the process of democratic consolidation
but also the very foundations of the country's stability. There is a
growing realization on the part of both domestic and international
decision-makers of the need to design and implement a number of measures
that will diffuse these threats.
ECMI is in the process of designing a programme which should help
efforts aimed at improving interregional societal integration and
interethnic cooperation in Ukraine. The programme includes three
distinct but interrelated projects that ECMI plans to implement in the
course of the following years. ECMI staff have prepared project
proposals after fact-finding and needs assessment missions conducted in
Ukraine during October/November 2004. ECMI staff continues to monitor
developments in Ukraine on a regular basis, which allows ECMI to have,
besides its comprehensive expertise in areas of conflict resolution and
majority-minority relations, substantial knowledge of the fast-changing
Ukrainian political scene.
The project, "Advancing Interregional Integration and Cooperation in
Ukraine", aims to assist in designing policies that will foster societal
integration in Ukraine. There has been a profound lack of policy
initiatives specifically aimed at bridging regional divisions in
Ukraine. The project will try to rectify this situation by devising a
set of specific policy proposals in the areas of education, media and
cultural exchange. To elaborate these initiatives and supervise their
implementation, the project will bring together domestic Ukrainian
experts and representatives of ECMI's international network of experts
who have experience in addressing the problems of divided societies.
The project, "Enhancing the Minority Legislative Framework in
Ukraine: Building a stronger Multi-ethnic Society", addresses a number
of longstanding issues pertaining to the Ukrainian legal framework for
minority protection. For a number of years, the Ukrainian authorities
have attempted to develop a comprehensive law on ethnopolitical
development and to modernize the legal norms and regulations in the
area of minority rights that were passed at the beginning of the 1990s.
ECMI will assist the Ukrainian authorities and the expert community
by facilitating the transfer of international knowledge and expertise on
this area.
The project, "Addressing Minority Issues in the Process of
Administrative-territorial Reform in Ukraine", deals with minority
aspects of a proposed administrative-territorial reform. The new
government of Ukraine plans to launch the most comprehensive
reform package in the history of independent Ukraine. The project
seeks to help reformers in drafting legal provisions that detail local
government's responsibilities in the area of minority rights. Such
provisions should enhance Ukrainian minority participation in the
policy-making process at a local level and improve the competence
and capacity of Ukrainian local governments in dealing with minority
issues. By empowering local communities, these provisions, if
implemented, should help to restructure the balance of power between
regional authorities and individual communities.
Empowering local communities should ultimately contribute to dampening
separatist claims that (in the Ukrainian context) are usually
articulated at the level of regional authorities.
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4. ECMI Assists Kosovo's Standards Process
As summer draws near, Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-
Government (PISG) face the daunting task of meeting the requirements of
the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan (KSIP), the success of which
will indicate just how democratic the territory has become in the past
several years. Successful progress will significantly increase the
likelihood of commencing discussions on Kosovo's final status. Clearly,
much is at stake and meeting the Standards has become the PISG's top
priority in 2005.
ECMI has too made Standards implementation a top priority by providing
assistance to the PISG in a number of ways. One of these areas has been
supporting the Ministry of Public Services in drafting the Law on the
Use of Languages in Kosovo. To this end, ECMI established an informal
working group to review the first draft of the law. The group's work
culminated in a workshop organized by ECMI for the working group members
and other key actors from 8-10 April 2005 in Sveti Naum, Macedonia. The
workshop was attended by members of the Ministry for Public Services,
the Prime Minister's Legal Office, representatives from the Serbian,
Turkish and Bosniak communities in Kosovo, and the Office for
Communities and Returns as well as United Nations Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) staff and an international expert contracted
by ECMI.
The ECMI-led meeting's main focus was on adjusting a first draft of
the law in order to ensure greater clarity of the draft law, as well as
to achieve legal certainty with respect to the rights and obligations
ensuing from this legislation. In addition, the meeting sought to ensure
the compatibility of the draft law with international human rights
standards; in particular, obligations under the Framework Convention on
the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for
Regional or Minority Languages. Finally, the members worked to ensure
that the existing standards provided in the Constitutional Framework for
Provisional Self-Government are maintained, as well as the rights
guaranteed in the 1970 Law on Realization of Equality of Languages and
Alphabets in the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo. The meeting of
the PISG Working Group was held in a very constructive manner, with all
participants showing a commitment to producing a quality draft text that
might establish
sufficient clarity with regard to the language rights guaranteed to
Kosovo's communities, as well as establish the obligations of public
institutions in this area.
The draft text prepared at the meeting offers a strong basis for the
regulation of languages in Kosovo's institutions by unifying the
existing fragmented regulations, as well as by providing a relatively
high standard for the use of minority languages in municipal
institutions. In this regard, the efforts of ECMI in supporting the PISG
will now focus on promoting the draft law in public discussions. ECMI is
strongly encouraging the PISGs to organize public consultations and, in
particular, a meeting with representatives of minority communities to
explain the guarantees provided in the draft law and to allow them to
voice their interests to ensure that these guarantees address the real
needs and interests of minority communities.
By engaging all of Kosovo's communities during this final stage, the
PISG can be sure that the law that will finally be promulgated will be
the best law possible and will not only fulfil an important Standard
but, more importantly, will benefit all of the people of Kosovo.
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5. Romani Expert Groups for Romani Integration
On 5 April 2005, ECMI organized the first official joint meeting of the
Romani Expert Groups for Romani Integration in Skopje, Macedonia.
This Sida-funded ECMI project, which follows on from the first global
assessment of the needs of Macedonia's Romani population (also
conducted by ECMI with Sida support), establishes all-Romani Expert
Groups in the areas of education, health, civil rights and employment.
Conceived to undertake their own research as a prelude to the design
and implementation of concrete policy measures to remedy Roms'
comparative disadvantages, in late 2004 the Expert Groups also played
an important role in contributing to the revision of the Macedonian
government's Draft Strategy for Roma in the Republic of Macedonia.
At the meeting, the ECMI project and the Expert Groups were
introduced to representatives of various ministries, political parties,
media groups, and international organizations. Also presented at the
meeting were the topics of the research projects to be conducted by
the Expert Groups from April to June 2005. The research results will
be presented in September 2005 to key actors in the field of Romani
integration as well as to the broader public. Through their work, it is
expected that the Expert Groups will form a crucial link among
similarly oriented initiatives.
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6. Enhancing Minority Governance in Bulgaria
ECMI held its second regular workshop for minority experts within
the context of the project, "Enhancing Minority Governance in
Bulgaria", on 29 March. More than 30 participants discussed the
importance of political participation, current issues in Bulgaria and
made specific recommendations on how to improve the political
participation of minorities in Bulgaria and, in particular, the Roma.
The questions discussed at the workshop are very much on the agenda
in Bulgaria, which is preparing to have its general elections in June
2005.
Experts from various public institutions and minority organizations
continue to analyze needs and evaluate legislation, strategies and
plans on minority issues in the three Working Groups facilitated by
ECMI. These groups examine: access to public services, economic
opportunities and political participation. In addition, a meeting with
participants from so-called "smaller" minorities was held, which
provided opportunities for participants to share information and to
discuss specific issues in areas such as culture, education in minority
languages, support for minority media and access to national media
for members of small minorities. The meetings are a follow-up to the
ECMI workshop in December 2004, in which good governance issues,
including monitoring and evaluation of minority policies, were
discussed.
In addition, ECMI was invited to present written material about its
activities at a Mayors Conference organized by the Association of
Municipalities in Bulgaria.
Under the auspices of ECMI's "Ombudsmen Network" Project and with
assistance from the ECMI Bulgaria Office, planning is now underway
for ECMI to host a meeting of ombudsman institutions in South-eastern
Europe in Sofia, Bulgaria for a training workshop. The training will
follow up on the 2004 workshops (in Tbilisi, Ohrid and Flensburg) and
will explore topics related to human and minority rights and the role of
the ombudsman institution in the promotion and protection of minority
rights. This event will bring together representatives of ombudsman
institutions and relevant ministries from Albania, Croatia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Hungary and Serbia and Montenegro. Participants
will also include the newly-elected ombudsman in Bulgaria, as well as
the newly-appointed head of the Bulgarian Antidiscrimination
Commission.
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7. Serbia & Montenegro Union Ministry Support Initiative
The collaborative project between ECMI and the Danish Institute for
Human Rights (DIHR) aims to enhance the capacities of the Union
Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Serbia and Montenegro.
The project began in the Autumn of 2004. The key objective of the
project is to assist the Ministry in enhancing its effectiveness in
accomplishing the tasks assigned to it by the Constitutional Charter
and legal framework of the State Union. The overall long-term aim
is to enhance the legislative commitment to human and minority
rights in Serbia and Montenegro by: assessing the possibility of
strengthening the organizational and institutional capacity of the
Ministry within its mandate; identifying of potential strategic
intervention or focus areas within the mandate of the Ministry;
and assessing to what extent assistance can be provided to the
Ministry within the framework of the Stabilization Process with
the EU in regard to the realization of the Copenhagen Criteria.
The project has made significant progress in the previous 3
months. Three team meetings with the participation of the entire
project team have been held in Belgrade. During these meetings
emphasis was placed on the importance of focusing on methodology
and process. The meetings concentrated on preparing material for the
working groups and agreeing upon future activities.
Further meetings within the groups are scheduled for May and
June and constitute an opportunity for the participants to exchange
views on the draft material, ideas prepared during the past couple of
months, as well as the opportunity to harmonize the principles for
future cooperation.
The second track of the project - reporting and monitoring - has
involved a series of meetings between the staff responsible for UN
conventions in the Ministry for Human Rights, DIHR and ECMI.
A manual has been drafted to provide the basis for developing a
system for reporting on Serbia and Montenegro's international
human rights commitments. The manual will be presented on May
18 to the working group, which will then develop detailed guidelines
for the individual conventions.
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8. The Lisbon Strategy and Ethnic Minorities
Rights and Economic Growth
Following the re-launch of the Lisbon Strategy by the European
Council in March 2005, the European Commission published a
blueprint for growth and jobs in support of a refocused Lisbon
Strategy on 12 April 2005. The blueprint identifies a number of
factors that have contributed to the slow growth rate in Europe,
acknowledging, among others, that social exclusion is a major
factor, especially among unemployed women and young and older
workers.
To alleviate this, members of the European Union (EU) must adopt
macroeconomic policies for growth and jobs that will secure economic
stability, economic sustainability and efficiency. They must ensure a
dynamic and well-functioning Euro area, make it more attractive to
invest and work in Europe, improve productivity and improve
investment in research and development to spur knowledge and
innovation for growth.
However, while the young and older workers and women are of vital
importance to the rejuvenation of Europe's economy, ethnic minorities
appear ostracized from this new process. The new set of Employment
Guidelines issued alongside the blueprint discusses the need to ensure
an inclusive labour market for job seekers and disadvantaged people.
Out of twenty-three guidelines, only one pertains to minorities and that
is in relation to combating discrimination.
This appears minimal, particularly as the Race Directive of 2000
requires Member States to implement the principle of equal treatment
irrespective of racial or ethnic origin. Moreover, the so-called Wim Kok
report that prepared the terrain for a relaunched and refocused Lisbon
Strategy referred to ethnic minorities only once, as a sub-category of
older workers. Finally, a recent working paper issued by the European
Commission, entitled The Economic Costs of Non-Lisbon: a Survey of the
Literature on the Economic Impact of Lisbon-type Reforms, makes no
mention of ethnic minorities.
Making the Labour Market Inclusive
In setting out the blueprint for how to make the European economy grow
through job creation and social inclusion, the refocused Lisbon Strategy
calls for a renewed effort at creating an inclusive labour market. This
includes yet another revised set of Employment Guidelines, calling for
Member States to adopt policies aimed towards raising the average
employment rate to 70 per cent, 60 per cent for women and 50 per cent
for older workers.
Specifically, the Commission asks Member States to pay special
attention to tackling the persistent employment gaps between women
and men, and the low employment rates of disadvantaged groups such
as older workers and young people. While the Commission may well
be implicitly including ethnic minorities in the category of
disadvantaged people, this is by no means clear from the Employment
Guidelines, which do not include a reference to minorities. It would
seem that ethnic minorities are simply not taken into account in the
pursuit of economic growth.
The problem with social inclusion and economic growth is that the two
are poorly linked in economic policies. The solution normally cited to
combat social exclusion is the so-called rights-based approach, whereas
economic policies proposed to improve economic development seldom
address social inclusion. However, according to experts on economic
development, the theory of how to create social inclusion for
marginalized groups should include at least three ways of addressing
economic exclusion. These are: the growth model, the individual
empowerment model (known as the rights-based approach) and the
security enhancement model. In reality, these models overlap and
intersect, and none is likely to be successful in isolation. They all
address the need to change a society from a less to a more desirable
state.
Questioning Assumptions
The assumption that social exclusion of ethnic minorities is but an
economic burden to society continues to reign among European policy
makers. Hoping that eliminating social exclusion would balance the
books and jump-start the economy, they do not take into account
that social exclusion is a drawback to economic growth because they see
it
as a static phenomenon rather than an investment opportunity. EU policy
makers would gain by recognizing that ethnic minorities constitute an
untapped asset in society, a dynamic force that is amenable, adjustable
and willing.
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9. External Publications by ECMI Staff
Minority Policy in Action: The Bonn-Copenhagen
Declarations in a European Context 1955-2005
Edited by Jorgen Kuhl & Marc Weller, assistant editor: Marnie Lloyd.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Bonn-Copenhagen
Declarations, this new book places the Danish-German efforts in the
field of minority-majority issues in the wider European context. It
demonstrates the significance of the Danish-German border region
experience for Europe. The topics covered are divided into three main
sections. The first section introduces the regional experience of
Germany and Denmark. The second section focuses on the position of
national minorities in the European Union. The final section examines
the position of minorities in the wider European context. Nine
internationally renowned authors have contributed to the volume, which
is the outcome of cooperation between the European Centre for Minority
Issues in Flensburg (Germany) and the Institut for
Gr?nseregionsforskning at the University of Southern Denmark in
Aabenraa.
To be ordered from the Department of Border Region Studies - University
of Southern Denmark, Persillegade 6, DK 6200 Aabenraa, telefax
+4574625169, e-mail: [email protected]
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European Yearbook of Minority Issues, Volume 3, 2003/2004
The Yearbook provides a critical and timely review of contemporary
developments in minority-majority relations in Europe. It combines
analysis, commentary and documentation in relation to conflict
management, international legal developments and domestic legislation
affecting minorities in Europe. Part I contains scholarly articles and,
in 2003/4,
features two special focus sections (on the Impact of Islam in Europe
and Economic Participation of Minorities), accompanied by a
miscellaneous articles section. Part II reviews the implementation of
minority legislation and international standards at the universal and
regional levels as well as new developments in relation to them and
contains a list of international norms. The European Yearbook is edited
in collaboration with the Minorities and Regional Autonomies Department
of the European Academy Bozen/Bolzano. For more information see the ECMI
website here:
http://www.ecmi.de/rubrik/55/european+yearbook/
To order the European Yearbook, please click here:
http://www.brill.nl/
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The Rights Of Minorities: A Commentary on the European Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Edited by Marc Weller
This commentary offers a detailed article-by-article analysis of the
Convention, by a group of international legal experts in minority
rights. Their commentary draws upon the Convention's negotiating history
and implementation practice, in addition to examining the pronouncements
of the Advisory Committee, which is the implementation body attached to
the treaty. It offers a clear sense of the concrete meaning of the
provisions of the Convention to scholars, students, and members of
minority rights groups.
To order this publication from Oxford University Press click here:
http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-927858-X
For further information on this book, please consult the ECMI Library
Catalogue at:
http://ecmidb.dimast-services.de/
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Ombudsman Institutions and Minority Issues - A Guide to Good Practice
Editor: Marnie Lloydd; Contibutors: Robert Dunbar, Dzenana
Hadziomerovic, Kristin Henrard, Andrea Krizsan, Birgitte Kofod Olsen and
Alan Phillips
Available in English and in Russian here:
http://www.ecmi.de/doc/ombudsman/news/guide2good_paractice.html
The Guide has been developed as part of ECMI's ongoing project "Network
of Ombudsman Institutions addressing Minority Issues in Europe".
Supported by a team of experts in the field, who are the authors of this
Guide, ECMI has for the past 2 years managed a network of ombudsman
institutions in the wider Europe: supporting them in their work with
minority issues; encouraging
the establishment of specialized structures for minority issues within
those institutions; and facilitating the exchange of information through
training workshops, conferences and online resources. The Guide to Good
Practice is our latest endeavour toward our project goals.
The Guide is structured into three main parts:
1. Mandate, Powers and Functions;
2. Establishment and Foundational Criteria; and
3. Operations and Organization.
Each part consists of a number of key points or statements, followed by
discussions and analyses, which provide alternatives or discuss suitable
solutions reached in practice by institutions. This Guide does not
attempt to provide set answers or even 'best' practice but, rather, it
represents examples of good practice and experience from various
countries. Part IV of the Guide contains essential resources, including
literature, websites and legal documents.
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10. New ECMI Publications
* Annual Report 2004 published
The annual report for 2004 contains detailed information on ECMI's
project work in 2004, its organizational improvements, as well as more
general information on ECMI's staff, structure, capacity and expertise.
The ECMI Annual Report 2004 can be downloaded here:
http://www.ecmi.de/download/Annual_Report_2004.pdf
* Recent ECMI Reports, Working Papers and Briefs
ECMI Report #53
Decker, D. Christopher. Enhancing Minority governance in Romania: Report
on the Presentation on Cultural Autonomy to the Romanian Government.
March 2005, 20 pp., appendix.
http://www.ecmi.de/download/Report_53.pdf
ECMI Report #54
Decker, D. Christopher and Aidan McGarry. Enhancing Minority Governance
in Romania. The Romanian Draft Law on the Status of National Minorities:
Issues of Definition, NGO Status and Cultural Autonomy. May 2005, 42
pp., appendix.
http://www.ecmi.de/download/Report_54.pdf
ECMI Working Paper #23
Wheatley, Jonathan. Obstacles Impeding the Regional Integration of the
Kvemo Kartli Region of Georgia. February 2005, 49 pp., appendix.
http://www.ecmi.de/download/working_paper_23.pdf
ECMI Brief #13
Malloy, Tove H. The Lisbon Strategy and Ethnic Minorities: Rights and
Economic Growth, April 2005, 13. pp.
http://www.ecmi.de/download/brief_13.pdf
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11. Calendar of Events
07 February Visit by Dr. Rein, German Ministry of the Interior and Dr.
Kemper, new appointed Minority Representative of the German Government,
Flensburg, Germany
10 February Opening of Bonn-Copenhagen Agreement Exhibition,Skt. Petri
Church,Copenhagen, Denmark
21 February Visit to ECMI by FUEN representatives from Graubunden
canton, Switzerland
25 February Regional Researchand Minority Meeting, Flensburg
27 February Friesenrat, 2005 Opening at the Nordseeakademie
01 March Bonn-Copenhagen Ceremony at the Buergerhaus in
Harrislee near Flensburg
02 March German-Danish Network on Ethnic-and Conflict studies,
Roskilde University, Denmark
07-11 March SO and Georgia SeminarCambridge, UK
17-19 March Meetings with several Heads of Divisions at the
German Foreign Office and German Marshall Fund,
Berlin
01 April Meetings with European Council Members, Brussels
05 April First joint meetingof ECMI's Romani Expert Groupsfor
Romani Integration, Skopje, Macedonia
6 April Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bonn-
Copenhagen Declaration and Book presentation, Danish
Parliament, Copenhagen, Denmark
7 April ECMI Board Meeting,Copenhagen
12 April Open Research Meeting with presentation by ECMI
Visiting Researcher, Ms Dilek Kurban on: "Glass Half
Full? The Impact of the European Union Accession
Process on the Protection of Minorities in Turkey",
Flensburg
14-15 April ASN Convention, Columbia University, New York,
ECMI-sponsored panel "The Role of Dayton"
16-17 April ECMI/Department of Inter-Ethnic Relations sponsored
meeting on Romanian Government's draft law on the
status of national minorities, Sinaia, Romania
19-20 April Meetings with Desk Officers at the GermanForeign
Office and visits to several German Foundations,
Berlin
21 April Preparatory Meeting for this years Minority Marathon
(You'm), Kiel
28 April Visit by Flenburg's Mayor Klaus Tscheuschner and City
President Hans-Hermann Laturnus, Flensburg
28 April Regional meeting: Working Group on Minorities,
Integration and Intercultural Competence
5-7 May FUEN Congress, Bucharest, Romania
28 May Danish Annual Meetings
Publisher: European Centre for Minority Issues, Schiffbrucke 12,
D-24939 Flensburg, Germany
[email protected]
www.ecmi.de
tel +49(0) 461 141 490
fax +49(0) 461 141 4919
Print ISSN: 1814-1366
Online ISSN:
1814-1447
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