The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) attended a panel organised by the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), of which it is a full member, at its Brussels office on 26 September 2023, on the occasion of the European Day of Languages. Deniz Servantie from ABTTF Brussels Office participated in the panel titled ‘‘Minority Languages as Part of the European Linguistic and Cultural Landscape: Role of Minority NGOs in preserving diversity in Europe’’.
At the panel moderated by FUEN Vice President Olivia Schubert, the welcome speech was realised by the Co-Chair of the European Parliament (EP) Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages and FUEN President Loránt Vincze. Afterwards, Prof. Paul Videsott from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, presented a report comparing nationality statistics and minority protection measures in different countries.
United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Dr. Fernand de Varennes, Co-Chairs of the EP Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages Kinga Gál (Independent, Hungary) and François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, France), Head of the Education and Erasmus+ Schools and Multilingualism (EAC) Unit at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture Michael Teutsch and Vice-President of the Network for the Promotion of Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) Anna Jungner-Nordgren, took part as speakers in a panel.
Speaking at the panel, MEP François Alfonsi pointed out that education and therefore schools play a key role in the existence of minority languages, and he directly referred to the current educational issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, which were conveyed to him by the ABTTF delegation that he met in his office in the EP before the panel, and drew the attention of the speakers and guests to them. Alfonsi indicated that in many countries, such as the Western Thrace region of Greece, schools belonging to minorities have been closed and therefore the use of minority languages is under threat, and that they have asked the European Commission questions for written answer on this particular subject, but he noted that the European Commission has always responded that such issues are not within its competence.
In his meeting with MEP Alfonsi on Tuesday morning, 26 September, ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu indicated that the number of Turkish primary schools in Western Thrace, which were closed by a ministerial decision in violation of the educational autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, has decreased rapidly over the years, and he referred to ongoing protest action launched by puils and their parents since 18 September agaisnt the imposition of shift teaching at the Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary and High School.
*Image: FUEN / Iris Haidau
