ABTTF President: “As ABTTF, we sincerely congratulate Loránt Vincze on his election as Chair of the Minorities Intergroup and we strongly believe that his strong support for our community and ABTTF will continue in the future. In the new legislative period of the EP, we will continue to raise the issues of our community at the meetings of the Minorities Intergroup and bring them to the attention of the MEPs’’.
The Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages in the European Parliament (EP) was re-established on 15 January 2025 in Brussels.
The re-establishment of the only EU forum dealing with the rights and issues of national minorities was backed by around 40 MEPs from all the political groups within the EP.
With over 40 years of history, the Minorities Intergroup will be chaired by MEP Loránt Vincze (EPP, Romania), who is also President of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), while the election of vice-chairs will take place on 23 January in Strasbourg.
In his statement following his election as Chair of the Minorities Intergroup, Vincze indicated that the dialogue at the European level within the Minorities Intergroup has provided them with useful experiences and that it is in their common interest for Europe to pay attention to the indigenous national minorities and to provide them with legal protection and support.
The meetings of the Minorities Intergroup, in which the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) has participated several times in the past and realised presentations with respect to the issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the rights violations, discrimination and hate speech it is subjected to in Greece, provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges and rights violations faced by national minority communities in Europe and also to share good practices.
“The re-establishment of the Minorities Intergroup in the EP and the fact that it will continue its work in the new legislative term of the EP is a very pleasing and positive development for our community and for the protection and observation of the rights and interests of all national minority communities in Europe under the European Parliament. As ABTTF, we sincerely congratulate Loránt Vincze on his election as Chair of the Minorities Intergroup and we strongly believe that his strong support for our community and ABTTF will continue in the future. In the new legislative period of the EP, we will continue to raise the issues of our community at the meetings of the Minorities Intergroup and bring them to the attention of the MEPs’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
