MINELRES: King Baudouin Foundation: Update about our activities in the Balkans

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Original sender: King Baudouin Foundation <kbs-frb@kbs-frb.be>


King Baudouin Foundation: Update about our activities in the Balkans

April 2006

Background information about our activities in the area of the Balkans
is given below. You can also consult this information on www.kbs-frb.be

If you wish to receive regular updates about all our calls for projects,
events, publications and so on, register for our general e-news.


Topics

Seminar on Justice and Home Affairs held in Thessaloniki
EPC-KBF Dialogue �Balkan Muslims and the Future of Islam in Europe�
EPC-KBF Dialogue �The Future of Serbia-Montenegro�
EPC-KBF Dialogue �Bosnia-Herzegovina: the road ahead�
A Serb-Albanian TV production on Kosovo
Hopeful signs of improvement in Kosovo
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Landmark minority participation in framing
legislation
Albania: Roma remain the most disadvantaged minority
Macedonia: Multilingual guide to minority rights published
Croatia: Stakeholder discussions spur further collaboration
Achieving Media responsibility in Multicultural Societies


Seminar on Justice and Home Affairs held in Thessaloniki

The EU law and policies in the field of Justice and Home Affairs in
general are one of the most important chapters which are negotiated
during the process of EU accession with countries applying for the EU
membership. On 8-9 December 2005, a training seminar has been organised
aiming at providing information and raising competence level of MP's in
SEE in matters related to trafficking in human beings, illegal
migration, labour migration, visa and asylum.
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/01_NewsletterApril06_Thessaloniki.pdf


EPC-KBF Dialogue �Balkan Muslims and the Future of Islam in Europe�

Leading specialists met under the auspices of the European Policy Centre
and the King Baudouin Foundation to debate the future of Islam and
Muslims in Europe. Discussions ranged over historical developments in
Islam in South-Eastern Europe, Turkey�s role in the Balkans, rulings
from the European Court of Human Rights and relations between Muslim
communities and EU governments. Click here for the report: 
http://www.kbs-
frb.be/files/db/EN/02_NewsletterApr06_IslamInTheBalkans_Report.pdf


EPC-KBF Dialogue �The future of Serbia-Montenegro�

The King Baudouin Foundation and the European Policy Centre, together
with the Open Society Institute and the Conflict Prevention Partnership,
held a Joint Dialogue on that issue. The referendum on Montenegro's
independence and its likely impact on the region as a whole were the
focus of debate. You can read the report:
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/04_NewsletterApr06_TheFutureOfSerbia-
Montenegro_051207.pdf


EPC-KBF Dialogue �Bosnia-Herzegovina: the road ahead�

Adnan Terzic, the Prime Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, spoke of a �new
age� for his country which began during the Greek EU Presidency in 2003,
at an EPC-KBF Policy Dialogue on Bosnia-Herzegovina: the road ahead. You
can read the report:
http://www.kbs-
frb.be/files/db/EN/05_NewsletterApr06_PolicyDialogueBiH_30.03.006.pdf


A Serb-Albanian TV production on Kosovo

The future of Kosovo is Europe�s most difficult territorial question,
and talks to settle this critical issue have just started. A key moment
chosen by South East Europe TV Exchanges, a Brussels-based independent
TV agency service for broadcasters in the Balkans, to release a
documentary to explore the nature of the dispute. Involved for more than
a decade in the region, the King Baudouin Foundation supported SEE TV in
producing this major contribution to the debate. A mixed production crew
(Albanian and Serb), travelled around Kosovo to meet ordinary people
from both communities and talk to leading figures in media and political
life. For more information:
http://www.seetv-exchanges.com/transcripts/2005/10/2005-10-kosovo.htm


Hopeful signs of improvement in Kosovo

Greater success in re-integration and tentative expressions of hope for
continued improvements, despite lower levels of returnees in 2005, were
some of the findings of a January 2006 report. Protection by
international forces remains essential and minorities legislation must
be implemented and respected centrally and locally. Real improvements
nevertheless depend on economic investment and development. Click here
for details:
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/06a_NewsletterApr06_PublicationKosovo.rtf


Bosnia-Herzegovina: Landmark minority participation in framing
legislation

Successful lobbying from the Center for Civic Initiatives led not only
to new legislation to protect national minorities in Bosnia Herzogovina,
but also to public participation in framing the new law, through a
two-month long series of public debates. Click here for details:
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/06b_NewsletterApril06_ChangesinLawBIH.rtf


Albania: Roma remain the most disadvantaged minority

Despite poverty among the Albanian majority and the national minorities,
research shows big differences in economic development between minority
communities. Business investment and government help in re-building the
infrastructure have been the catalysts for the Greek and Aromanian
communities to improve their lives, but the peripatetic Roma are still
in dire need of government support. Click here for details:
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/06c_NewsletterApr06_AlbaniaCaseStudy.rtf


Macedonia: Multilingual guide to minority rights published

Implementing Minority Rights in Macedonia contains a digest of all
current legislation relating to ethnic minority rights and comments on
practical aspects of implementing the legislation. Simple and
easy-to-understand language is used and the manual is available in
Macedonian, Albanian, Vlach, Turkish, Roma, Serbian and English. Click
here for the details:
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/06d_NewsletterApr06_Guide_MK.rtf


Croatia: Stakeholder discussions spur further collaboration

Two round tables at the end of 2005 to discuss educational rights and
the participation of national minorities in political life and public
affairs were so successful that participants, who included all
stakeholders, agreed to continue working together on strategic
development. Click here for details:
http://www.kbs-frb.be/files/db/EN/06e_NewsletterApril06_RoundTableCroatia.rtf


Achieving Media responsibility in Multicultural Societies

The publication Achieving Media Responsibility in Multicultural
Societies has been elaborated on the basis of the materials and opinions
arising from an international conference held in Sofia, in 2005 within
the framework of the �Minority Rights in Practice in Southeast Europe�
project initiated by the King Baudouin Foundation.

This resource pack of information material and advocacy briefs consists
of 5 leaflets. The first three leaflets deal respectively with the
international legal standards, with a regional cross section of the
issues concerned and with effective practices of interaction between
media, media structures and citizen organisations. The last two leaflets
provide recommendations addressed to media, media regulatory bodies,
national and international institutions and non-governmental
organisations and set out principles principles for journalists and
editors for ethical and professional coverage of ethnic issues.

http://www.kbs-frb.be/code/page.cfm?id_page=153&id=394&lang=EN&frommail=1


The King Baudouin Foundation sincerely thanks the Belgian National
Lottery and all those who have supported its efforts with their
generosity.

For practical details please e-mail: info@kbs-frb.be 
or telephone : +32 70 233 728

King Baudouin Foundation 
rue Brederodestraat 21, B-1000 Brussels
Tel : +32 2 511 18 40 
fax : +32 2 511 52 21



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