MINELRES: New publication: Minority Rights Advocacy in the European Union: A Guide for NGOs in South-East Europe

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Original sender: MRG Europe <MRG.Europe@mrgmail.org>


Minority Rights Advocacy in the European Union: A Guide for NGOs in
South-East Europe. Minority Rights Group International, July 2006.

This unique guide on Minority Rights Advocacy in the European Union aims
to empower minority and human rights activists from SEE to advocate
successfully for the inclusion of minority issues in their country�s EU
accession process and improved protection of minority rights.

It addresses issues which are crucial for a thorough understanding of
minority rights advocacy opportunities within the EU, including those
issues which will be applicable once SEE states become EU members.

Contents
The first chapter introduces the EU, its evolution from an economic
association to an ever-growing political union, its institutional
structure and the relevant decision-making processes. The second chapter
discusses the EU policy toward the region and the nature of its
engagement ranging from conflict management, the provision of
reconstruction and development aid, to the enlargement process. The
third chapter describes the EU standards for minority protection in the
context of the enlargement process, as well as the instruments and
mechanisms for minority protection available to member states. The
fourth chapter presents the advocacy opportunities available for
minority rights activists within the institutional setting of the EU,
providing practical advocacy tools. The fifth chapter is a collection of
resources, references and information that can come useful to a minority
rights advocate from SEE. The annex contains key EU standards. The
glossary is intended as a self-standing reference which should
facilitate the understanding of the structures, issues and processes
described in the guide.

Authors
Snjezana Bokulic is Europe and Central Asia Programmes Coordinator at
Minority Rights Group International.
Florian Bieber is lecturer at the University of Kent, Canterbury (UK),
and a senior non-resident research associate at the European Centre of
Minority Issues.
Anna-Maria Biro was the head of MRG�s Budapest Co-ordination office
1996-2004. She worked as Advisor on Minority Affairs for the OSCE
Mission in Kosovo and advisor on international affairs to the President
of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania.
Emelyne Cheney is a Ph.D. student at the London School of Economics.


The guide is available at
http://www.minorityrights.org/admin/Download/pdf/MRG_EUguide.pdf

For further information, comments or queries, please contact
MRG.Europe@mrgmail.org


Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non-governmental
organization working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide, and to promote
cooperation and understanding between communities
www.minorityrights.org

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