FW: Press release to forward to Boris
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 19:59:42 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: FW: Press release to forward to Boris
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Markes-Goerlach Nicola
<[email protected]>
COE Press Release
Multilateral round-table discussion on national minorities in central
and eastern Europe
Strasbourg, 15.11.99 - A multilateral round-table discussion on
national minorities and stability in central and eastern Europe will
be held in Bratislava on 19-20 November on the initiative of the
Slovak authorities, within the context of joint efforts by the COUNCIL
OF EUROPE and the European Commission in favour of national
minorities.
The meeting, which will be attended by representatives from Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia in addition to
the Slovak Republic, benefits from financial support by the
Principality of Liechtenstein.
Several speakers will focus on "Juridical and institutional aspects of
the implementation of the Council of Europe's legal instruments on
national minorities" and on "The possibility of coordinating
activities in connection with Roma/Gypsy minorities in central and
eastern Europe".
The first day will be dedicated to an exchange of views on the
ratification and implementation of the Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities, and of the European Charter for
Regional or Minority Languages. Alan Phillips, First Vice-President of
the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention, and Sigve
Gramstad, President of the Committee of Experts on the Language
Charter, will explain the monitoring mechanisms of the two legal
instruments.
On the second day, Roma/Gypsy issues will be addressed by Josephine
Verspaget, Chair of the Council of Europe's Specialist Group on
Roma/Gypsies, and by OSCE adviser on Roma and Sinti issues Nicolae
Gheorghe, among others.
The two-day meeting will be opened by Hans Christian Kr�ger, Council
of Europe Deputy Secretary General, and by Pal Csaky, Deputy Prime
Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities, who will also
deliver a keynote speech on the Slovak Government's policy on national
minorities.
The proceedings will take place at the Hotel Forum, in Bratislava,
where a press conference will be held on Friday 19th at 15h30.
./..
Note for editors
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is
the first-ever legally binding multilateral instrument on the
protection of national minorities in general. It entered into force on
1 February 1998 and has been ratified to date by 27 Council of Europe
member States (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,
Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Russian Federation,
San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, "the former
Yugoslav republic of Macedonia", Ukraine, United Kingdom), plus
Armenia. It has been signed by Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages entered into
force on 1 March 1998. It has been ratified by Croatia, Finland,
Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Norway and
Switzerland, and signed by Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Iceland,
Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, "the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia" and Ukraine.
--
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