Federal Union of European Nationalities
The Federal Union of European Nationalities ( FUEN , Eng .: Federal Union of European Nationalities , FUEN ) is an independent umbrella organization of national minorities in Europe, with currently about 90 member organizations from 33 European countries.
history
The FUEN was on 19./20. Founded November 1949 in Versailles (France). It sees itself as the successor organization to the European Nationalities Congress that existed from 1925 to 1938 . The first president was the Belgian Charles Plisnier . FUEN has had participating status at the Council of Europe since 1989 and consultative status at the United Nations since 1995 .
In 2016, Loránt Vincze was elected President of the Federal Union of European Nationalities to succeed Hans Heinrich Hansen . In June 2019, Vincze was confirmed in this position for a further three years for the term of office until 2022.
organization
The FUEN Presidium currently consists of representatives of minorities from six different countries - each including a representative of the Germans in Denmark , the South Tyroleans in Italy , the Croats in Austria , the Hungarians in Romania (President Loránt Vincze ), the Germans in Russia , the Turks in Greece and the Sorbs and Danes in Germany . The presidium is elected democratically.
The general secretariat of FUEN has its seat at the Schiffbrücke in Flensburg .
Goals and Activities
FUEN pursues the goal of preserving and promoting the national identity, language, culture and history of national minorities. It advocates good neighborly, peaceful coexistence between the majority population and minority in a state or region and rejects separatism and any violent border shifting projects.
She takes the view that the peaceful development of Europe requires consideration for the legitimate interests of the national minorities and ethnic groups in preserving their ancestral identity and helping to preserve their traditional culture, and in this regard aims in particular at the European parliaments, governments and institutions as a conversation partner.
In 1967 FUEN presented principles for a European national minority law, which it revised and supplemented over the years. She further developed these principles into a draft convention for the fundamental rights of the ethnic groups of Europe and from 1991 introduced them to the OSCE , the United Nations , the Council of Europe and the European Parliament .
FUEN supports the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and hopes for their early ratification and implementation by all member states of the Council of Europe.
The activities of FUEN also include a. the organization of an annual congress with representatives of European minorities and other meetings, symposia and events, the adoption of statements and resolutions, the publication of press releases, fact-finding missions (visits by national minorities to investigate their situation). She is also the editor of Europa Ethnica magazine .
With reference to the fact that there is still no consensus in politics and science on a binding definition of a national minority , FUEN 2006 put its definitions, principles, demands and recommendations in the form of a charter , the charter of the autochthonous, national minorities in Europe , together with the Youth of European Nationalities (YEN), signed and published.
financing
FUEN is financed through contributions from its members and state institutions such as Austria, the state of Carinthia, the German-speaking Community in Belgium , Switzerland, the Canton of Graubünden, Denmark, the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the state of Brandenburg, the Free State of Saxony, the autonomous region of Trentino-South Tyrol, Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, the Netherlands, Province of Fryslân and the Federal Republic of Germany. She also receives funding from the Hermann Niermann Foundation .
supporting documents
- ^ Member organizations of FUEN
- ↑ Loránt Vincze re-elected as FUEN President. June 15, 2019, accessed July 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Vincze remains at the head of FUEN. June 17, 2019, accessed July 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Published documents and resolutions of the FUEN ( Memento of the original of December 16, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ CHARTER of the autochthonous, national minorities in Europe ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Minority report 2002 of the state government of Schleswig-Holstein
