Konstruktív párbeszéd vagy párhuzamos monológok? Az Európai Parlament nemzetiségi vonatkozású tevékenysége 2014–2019 között
Constructive Dialogue or Parallel Monologues? Minority Questions in the 2014–2019 Term of the European Parliament

Summary/Abstract: The European Parliament, due to the direct election of the MEPs, is an institution that is more willing to represent the interests of European national minorities and regional communities than other EU bodies. During the 2014–2019 term, various questions of national minorities were discussed in the Minority Intergroup, an informal but officially recognized group of MEPs, and also in some committees of the Parliament. Individual MEPs, either alone or together with other colleagues, organized events and conferences on minority topics. However, the EU generally is reluctant when it comes to questions on national minorities. The plenary of the European Parliament, however, did adopt important resolutions on the matter during this term, and urged the European Commission to create an EU legal framework for protecting national minorities. Events, conferences, and resolutions have not led to a break-through; but even keeping the issue on the agenda is a success in a milieu that is often hostile to discuss minority problems because it sees them as offences to national sovereignty. Nevertheless, important steps forward are needed to secure a more just, equal and citizen-friendly Europe; this is where discussions on minority issues within the EP for instance, could foster improvement.

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