Halit Habip Oğlu: “A historic step has been taken to establish a minority protection mechanism at the EU level by officially presenting the MSPI, which the Turkish community in Western Thrace has supported from the very beginning, to the European Commission.”
The Minority SafePack European Citizens’ Initiative (MSPI) organized by the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), the largest umbrella organization of national minorities living in Europe, was presented to the European Commission at an official meeting on 5 February 2020 in Brussels.
At this first official meeting with the European Commission with respect to the initiative, the MSPI delegation composed of FUEN President and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Loránt Vincze, FUEN Vice President Daniel Alfreider, FUEN Honorary President Hans Heinrich Hansen, members of the Citizens’ Committee of MSPI and experts on minority rights came together with Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, Responsible for the European Citizens’ Initiative system and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. The concrete legislative proposals based on the initiative were presented by the MSPI delegation to the European Commission during the meeting.
The 1,288,385 signatures collected for the initiative, which was launched by FUEN in 2013, were authenticated by the competent national authorities of the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU), making it the fifth successful European Citizens’ Initiative which met the conditions set by the European Commission. Aiming to promote the rights of national and linguistic minorities in Europe and to establish a minority protection mechanism at the EU level, the MSPI calls on the EU to use the tools at its disposal and to adopt a set of legislative acts in that respect.
“This first official meeting, at which the MSPI was presented to the European Commission, is a crucial step towards establishing a minority protection mechanism at the EU level. If the European Commission and the Council of the European Union are persuaded to implement the legislative proposals based on the initiative, the protection of national minorities in Europe and the promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity will become binding within the general policies of the EU for all EU Member States. The initiative includes legislative proposals demanding the protection of language, education and cultural rights of the national minorities, and asking the EU to develop effective policies and to provide fonds in that respect. The Turkish community in Western Thrace, whose educational and religious autonomy has been systematically violated by Greece, will be able to participate actively in programs and projects regarding national and linguistic minorities included within the framework of the initiative and will thus enhance its visibility and strength at the EU level. In addition, the implementation by the EU of the regarding legislative proposals will contribute greatly to the protection and promotion of the national and cultural identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and prevent it from being assimilated,” said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.fuen.org
