Council of Europe

Marin Barleti University and the Albanian Institute of Public Affairs have organized an international scientific conference dedicated to “Albania and National, Ethnic and Cultural Minorities”. The main aim of the conference was to stimulate debate amongst local and international academics, experts, representatives of national and international organizations, local government authorities and other stakeholders, in order to present their most important findings concerning issues and problems that the minorities have been experiencing in the region.

The main focus of the conference was placed on the legal overview of the constitutional rights of minorities in the Balkans, historical perspective and current situation of minorities in Albania, Kosovo* and “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. The presented papers have scrutinized the conditions of Vllah, Greek, Macedonian and Balkan Egyptian minorities.

The JP MIN Local Project Officer for “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” delivered a presentation entitled “Two paradigms for one minority of one nation in two states: policy of recognition of Balkan Egyptians in Albania and Kosovo”. The paper gives a comparative view of the two policies and social contexts in different Balkan states and other international practices. It explores obstacles and possibilities for improvement of the situation and protection and integration of Balkan Egyptians in Albanian and Kosovo societies.

Local Project Officer for Albania was also present at the Conference.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence

On 6 February, the Local Project Officer for “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” was a guest speaker on a popular TV show “Integral” hosted by Mr Edin Hajdarpashic , at the TV station “24 Vesti” (“24 News”). The discussion was partly dedicated to the promotion of JP MIN. Our LPO has presented the main goals and objectives of the project, as well as the upcoming activities.

Some of the other topics of the conversation included: intercultural dialog within the country, disproportionality and non-functioning of the Ohrid Framework Agreement after the 2011 census failure, state reciprocity and bilateral agreements on improvement of minority rights, ethno cultural politics, racial discrimination and Islamophobia in Europe, diverse promotion of the minority rights as well as other issues related with national minorities and multiculturalism.

Project Coordinator Dušica Puzić was invited to represent the Council of Europe and present JP MIN at a hearing on “Human Rights in the Western Balkans, with a special focus on minorities” held by the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and to take part in the subsequent discussion with, inter alia, Mr Jelko Kacin, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo, Mr Nebojša Kaluđerović, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro and Mr Morten Kjaerum, the Director of the Fundamental Rights Agency.

The meeting in the Project Office served to go through the consolidated draft mapping document with a view to preparing its final version, to agree on the selection of the relevant interlocutors in the six Beneficiaries so far covered for inclusion in the nascent "South Eastern European Network of Minority Rights Defenders" and to examine proposals for Project activities that had been collected by the Local Project Officers and Local Project Expert so far. The PMT decided to prepare a data base of present and past cooperation projects on minority rights in the region and discussed the format of the monthly reports which the LPOs / LPE will prepare and which will serve as the basis for the "Newsletter on minority rights developments in South East Europe".

The PMT had a first joint reading of the contributions made by the Local Project Officers /Expert (LPOs/LPE) for the mapping document on minority legislation and institutions in the region. It also drew up the criteria for eligible Project activity proposals to be submitted by the stakeholders through the LPOs / LPE. The meeting took place in the Project Office.

High Commissioner Knut Vollebaek (picture), Ilze Brands-Kehris (Director of the HCNM’s Office) and the members of Central and Eastern Europe/West Section of the High Commissioner’s Office will receive Alexey Kozhemyakov (Head of the Department National Minorities and Antidiscrimination), Charlotte Altenhoner-Dion (Administrator, Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities), Markus Jaeger (Head of Division and JP MIN Project Superviser) and Dusica Puzic (acting JP MIN Project Coordinator and Project Manager) to exchange information on their respective activities in South East Europe with a view to avoiding duplication and identifying possible synergies. They will also compare their assessments as concerns the development of respect of minority rights in the region.

The seven Ombudsman institutions and two Equality Bodies of the region covered by JP MIN will meet with members of the Project Management Team at a meeting hosted by Mr Igli Totozani, the Ombudsman of Albania. They will compare their roles within their national architectures for the protection and promotion of minority rights and list the thematic areas in which they wish to work under JP MIN in the coming years, as members of the South East European Network of Minority Rights Defenders that is being set up under the Project.

President Ivo Josipovic of Croatia honoured the Regional School on Minority Rights with his prolonged presence on the opening day where he delivered a lecture on “Protection of national minorities and cooperation in South East Europe“. His lecture was followed by a questions and answers session with students and university professors.

This was the 6th edition of the Regional School which has its origin in a bilateral scientific project called ”Bilateral Cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and Republic of Serbia in the Protection on National Minorities“. Thanks to JP MIN the Regional School has grown this year into a regional tool where students, faculty and other experts openly discuss a wide range of issues pertaining to the protection and promotion of minority rights. A number of items on the agenda directly addressed “expected results” of the Project.

The five Local Project Officers (LPO’s) for the implementation of JP MIN (Ms. Elona Xhaferri, Local Project Officer Albania, Ms. Maja Kremenović, Local Project Officer Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms. Antonija Petričušić, Local Project Officer Croatia, Ms. Aleksandra Vujić, Local Project Officer Serbia, Mr. Rubin Zemon, Local Project Officer for “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia“ and Local Project Expert Ivana Jelić (Montenegro) held their first common meeting with Project Consultant Hilde Haug, Project Financial Assistant Andrej Terzić and Project Assistant Ana Vukčević under the aegis of acting Project Co-ordinator and Project Manager Dusica Puzić and Project Supervisor Markus Jaeger. Jolanta Delcourt and Nevena Kojić, Project Assistants based in Strasbourg, could not attend.

There was still no LPO from Pristina, because the Project Team’s exploratory mission there had not yet taken place.

The meeting took place in the Project Office downtown Podgorica.

The Project Management Team agreed on the splitting of tasks and on procedures between its members and on how to ensure the (ongoing) mapping of the situation of minority rights in the region, including the launch of a Newsletter towards the end of the year. The Team also discussed the provisional composition of the nascent South East European Network of Minority Rights Defenders and how to consult the members of the Network on their ideas for and involvement in the programme of JP MIN activities to be drawn up the first meeting of the JP MIN Steering Committe.

A Joint Launching Conference for three regional programmes to ameliorate the conditions of minority communities in South East Europe will be held from 27 to 29 June in Budva (Montenegro) by the European Union, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe. The purpose of this conference is to present three regional projects to improve the situation of minorities in the Western Balkans: “Promoting Human Rights and Minority Protection in South East Europe” (implemented by the Council of Europe), “Best Practices for Roma Integration” (implemented by OSCE/ODIHR) and “Regional Initiative for Inclusive Education” (will be also implemented by the Council of Europe).

The event will begin with a description of the main elements of an integrated approach to these three issues, followed by an outline of each programme. Then, participants will be invited to take part in working groups covering the cross-cutting topics of “How to better implement antidiscrimination legislation?” (WG1), “How to enhance participation in public life?” (WG2) and “How to approach diversity through inclusive education?” (WG3). The purpose of these workshops is the exchange of concrete best practices.

The conclusions of these workshops will be presented during the closing plenary session. To conclude the event, Mr. Nebojša Kaludjerović, State Secretary for Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro, Mrs. Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General elect of the Council of Europe, Mr. Andrzej Mirga, Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues at ODIHR and Mr. Alberto Cammarata, Acting Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, will present their views and expectations regarding the three joint projects and the new sectorial approach.

A press conference will be held on 29 June at 11:30 by representatives of the three organisations.