Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages

20/05/2026

The European Parliament calls on Slovakia to end land confiscations based on the Beneš Decrees.

Today represents an important step for national minorities. With the adoption of its resolution on Slovakia, the European Parliament has clearly taken a stand in support of national and linguistic minorities. It has called for the repeal of legal provisions that negatively affect minorities, including the Criminal Code amendment that criminalised questioning the post-war decrees applying the principle of collective guilt against Hungarian and German national minorities, as well as legislation enabling the confiscation of land and forests.

For a long time, governments claimed that land confiscations based on the decrees were an internal issue. However, the European Parliament has now shed light on these breaches of fundamental rights and the rule of law. Now is the time to act and resolve issues affecting several EU citizens, not only in Slovakia but in other countries as well.

Thanks to the longstanding commitment of the Members of the , this issue has been followed from the very beginning. Experts, investigative journalists, and civil society have also played an important role in bringing facts and evidence to the attention of EU institutions.

Photo: European Parliament

19/05/2026

Commissioner Hadja Lahbib engages with Members of the Minority Intergroup on the situation of traditional minorities

Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is clear in prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of language and membership of a national minority. In this context, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib underlined during an exchange with Members of the that linguistic diversity should be better protected and promoted in the European Union.
Following previous discussions with Glenn Micallef last autumn and with Michael McGrath in March, Members of the Intergroup welcomed the Commissioner responsible for Equality, whose portfolio also covers the protection of minorities.
The Minority Intergroup continues its work in support of the rights of traditional national and linguistic minorities in Europe. In the period following the , the needs and expectations of minorities have not changed. Citizens belonging to minorities wish to live, work and learn in their mother tongue, to access audiovisual content in their language, to receive communications in their language—including in emergency situations—and to benefit from equal access to EU funding opportunities, just as other citizens do.
While EU competences are defined by the Treaties, Article 2 TEU clearly identifies the protection of minorities as one of the European Union’s fundamental values.
“Égalité” lies at the very heart of our European project. This principle must be genuinely upheld throughout our societies, ensuring that no one is excluded or discriminated against. Europe must continue to move forward in supporting traditional national and linguistic minorities, as it has already done in many other fields.
Merci Madame la Commissaire pour votre présence et cet échange constructif.

11/05/2026

We all shout ‘Goooal!’—but what language is the rest of the match in?

Geo-blocking was the topic of discussions in Brussels within the .

Across Europe, access to online streaming services is still restricted, disproportionately affecting linguistic minorities—especially in border regions.

Take sports broadcasting as an example: the same match can often be followed in one language on one side of a border, but not on the other. While the European single market is based on the free movement of services, this is not fully realised in audiovisual content, largely due to territorial licensing systems.

Territorial licensing helps protect Europe’s cultural industries and film production, but it also creates frustration: content exists, yet it is not accessible in users’ own language.

This is why a targeted exemption should be introduced for traditional national and linguistic minority communities when accessing audiovisual content, including TV programmes and online streaming services.

We discussed this issue with the European Commission. With the upcoming revision of the geo-blocking regulation, there is now a real opportunity to bring this forward and turn it into practical, workable solutions.

Encouraging examples already exist: the German-speaking community in Belgium and the South Tyrolean community have developed partial solutions, offering useful inspiration for a broader European approach.

Different minority situations require different responses—but within the EU framework, our shared goal is clear: to move from discussion to delivery and ensure real, effective solutions.

The match has started. Now we need to play it together.

05/05/2026

Time to Integrate Minority Protection into Rule of Law Monitoring

In its report on the Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report, adopted last week in Strasbourg, the European Parliament raises concerns that minority rights are increasingly being overlooked across the EU. The rule of law is not complete without proper monitoring of the rights of traditional national and linguistic minorities.
Members of the European Parliament are calling for stronger safeguards against discrimination in Member States, as well as concrete EU-level measures to protect minority and language rights. They also reiterate the need to include minority protection in the Commission’s annual rule of law monitoring exercise and call for EU accession to key Council of Europe conventions.
The report highlights an important gap. While candidate countries must meet strict minority protection criteria under the Copenhagen accession framework, there are no equivalent guarantees ensuring that Member States continue to uphold these commitments after joining the EU.

The has consistently stressed the importance of data-driven monitoring in this area, in line with Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, which recognises the protection of minorities as a core EU value.

Photo: europarl.europa.eu

30/04/2026

National and linguistic minorities are Europe’s diversity

The EU motto “United in diversity” was clearly reflected at the April meeting of the , where representatives of traditional national and linguistic minorities demonstrated how diverse communities can work together and stand up for shared goals.

The largest umbrella organisation of minority groups, FUEN - Federal Union of European Nationalities presented its flagship programmes. These include the Minority Monitor, which reports on discrimination, language rights, hate speech and hate crimes affecting minorities across Europe, and Minority Women, a project that raises awareness of the challenges faced by minority women while highlighting role models and best practices in leadership, entrepreneurship, politics and academia. Given the wide range of legal statuses and challenges faced by different communities, such monitoring tools are essential to document rights violations and ensure visibility. At the same time, empowering minority women remains key, as they are still underrepresented in many sectors. FUEN’s work aims to bring their voices and achievements into focus.

EU enlargement offers an important framework and incentive for strengthening minority rights; however, progress is not driven by the process alone. It also reflects the sustained efforts and achievements of minority communities themselves. Positive examples can be seen in Kosovo and North Macedonia, where Turkish minority communities have made significant advances. In Kosovo, Turkish representatives actively participate in political and public life, and their language is used in parliament. In North Macedonia, Turkish-language education is available from preschool to university level. These developments illustrate both supportive frameworks and strong community agency. These communities are vital contributors to their societies and strong supporters of European integration.

Just as FUEN plays a crucial role in representing autochthonous minorities at the European level, local and regional representatives of these communities are essential for building trust, promoting inclusion and advancing minority rights protection.

It remains for the European Union to fully live up to its motto—ensuring that the rights and concerns of traditional national and linguistic minorities remain a priority, both during the enlargement process and after countries become Member States.

23/04/2026

Improving the lives of Roma and other minority communities is a shared European interest—and a responsibility that goes far beyond national borders or the enlargement process. It must be part of our everyday reality, before and after accession, and embedded in the life of our European Union.

Said Chair Vincze Loránt while hosting an enlargement event during the Roma Week in the EP.

The European Parliament and the remain committed to supporting Roma communities—not just symbolically, but through sustained action. While progress has been made, the situation is still not improving fast enough. Minority protection is not optional; it is a core element of EU values and accession.

We must confront hate speech, discrimination, and anti-Roma attitudes, while ensuring access to quality education, including in minority languages. The tools and funding exist—what we need now is full implementation, stronger enforcement, and real inclusion.

Roma communities remain among the most marginalized. Investing in education, empowering youth, and strengthening anti-discrimination policies must be a shared responsibility - in Member States and candidate countries alike.

Minorities should not be seen as occasional or folkloric elements, but as an integral part of our cultural heritage and of our society.

01/04/2026

Europe Revolts Against the Death of the Languages Spoken by 158 Minorities

Journalists from El País visited South Tyrol to explore Europe’s endangered minority and regional languages, including the Bavarian-derived Mócheno, spoken by barely 1,000 people, and Ladin, spoken by around 32,000.
Their short video shows the daily life of these communities and contrasts the struggle of Mócheno speakers with the success of Ladin, preserved through schools and decades of cultural work.
The journalists also asked MEP Loránt Vincze, Chair of the , about what must be done to protect these languages. He emphasized the need for stronger support so that all of Europe’s minority languages continue to thrive and enrich the continent’s cultural and linguistic diversity.

Watch the video to see these communities in everyday life and learn what can be done to protect their languages.👇🏻

26/03/2026

When indigenous representatives and traditional minority communities from all corners of the world come together in the European Parliament, the world seems smaller, because we share common values, common challenges, and a shared determination to protect our communities.

This week, the Bureau of the welcomed the Indigenous women’s delegation from the National Commission of Communication of the Indigenous Peoples of Colombia (CONCIP) - strong and determined advocates advancing the rights of indigenous communities through communication, representation, and action.

We also engaged with the Saami Council, who delivered a clear and justified message to Europe: indigenous peoples must be recognised, and the EU must adopt a coherent, consistent policy on indigenous rights and human rights, fully aligned with its external action.

These exchanges are not symbolic, they are necessary. From Latin America to Northern Europe, our communities face shared challenges and pursue the same fundamental goals: protecting identity, preserving language, and safeguarding cultural heritage.

In a rapidly changing world, we cannot afford fragmentation or hesitation. By exchanging experiences and best practices, both offline and online, we strengthen our capacity to act. Europe must match this ambition with a solid framework that not only protects minority rights but actively promotes them.

The MinorityIntergroup will continue to stand firmly with traditional national and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples, ensuring their voices are heard, their rights are upheld, and their future is secured.

10/03/2026

Strong ideas and a forward-looking vision for better supporting the rights of traditional national and linguistic minorities: hosted an exchange of views in Strasbourg with Michael McGrath EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection.

Members raised several pressing issues concerning the situation of traditional national and linguistic minorities across EU countries. The discussion touched upon hate crime cases targeting minority communities, the lack of recognition of certain minority communities and minority or regional languages, and longstanding challenges such as discrimination in the use of minority languages and barriers to adequate democratic participation. Concerns were also raised about discriminatory state practices that may enable land confiscation based on minority origin.

Members also highlighted the challenges related to geo-blocking of media and audiovisual content, as well as the need for more accessible EU-level financial support for initiatives that preserve and promote minority languages and cultures.

The European Citizens’ Initiative Minority SafePack and its legacy were also raised, with Members underlining that stronger engagement at EU remains necessary.

While Commissioner McGrath referred to the limits of existing legal competences, it was also acknowledged that these boundaries can be explored and tested where appropriate.

The exchange was promising and confirmed the value of continued cooperation. The Intergroup’s expertise in this field can contribute, for example, to the Commission’s work on the Democracy Shield, particularly regarding democratic participation. Looking ahead, nothing should be considered impossible — including the monitoring of the protection of traditional national minorities as an EU value under Article 2 within the Rule of Law toolbox.

Thank you, Commissioner McGrath, for the constructive exchange.
Go raibh maith agat, a Choimisinéara McGrath, as an malartú cuiditheach.

10/03/2026