Joint Project of the EU/CoE “Promotion of human rights and minorities protection in Southeast Europe ”

The objective of the joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Promotion of human rights and minorities protection in Southeast Europe is enhancement of access to minorities rights on different government levels in Southeast Europe based on the standards of the Council of Europe in this area, specifically Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for regional or minority languages.

Beneficiaries of the joint project are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Kosovo*

Special questions of interest for the beneficiaries, initiated by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention and the Committee of Experts on the European Charter, will be elaborated in order to support beneficiaries with fulfillment of their obligations set by the agreements.

The three specific objectives on which the project will be focused on are :

1) Providing support to local governments in order to abet measures and capacities for conducting recommendations on minorities rights in practice in specific municipalities in the region;

2) Recognition and exchange of good practice between municipalities and development of adaptable models which can later on be used by other municipalities in the region as well;

3) Based on information from the local level, together with recommendations coming from the Council of Europe’s monitoring report, providing support to legislative and political changes on the central government level.  

* The name does not in any way prejudice views concerning the status of Kosovo and is accordance with Resolution 1244 by the United Nations Security Council and the stand taken by the International Court of Justice about the Declaration of independence of Kosovo.

More info: http://pjp-eu.coe.int/web/minority-rights

Contact person for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro: Zorica Lešić, Regional Project Officer