The 10th anniversary of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

Summary

The Framework Convention (FCNM) entered into force 10 years ago. It seeks to protect national minorities in specific areas. In the beginning there were substantial criticisms of the FCNM. Today, however, it is widely accepted that some of the "weaknesses" in the language of the FCNM are in fact "strengths" as work with the FCNM has developed and civil society has become engaged. In this context, the monitoring of the Convention by the so-called Advisory Committee, made up of independent experts, and by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers plays a decisive role. The weak language in the text of the FCNM has led to its wide acceptance (39 states have by now ratified the Convention), but has been robustly interpreted by the Advisory Committee. Thus a number of important achievements have been consolidated from the first monitoring cycle. Nevertheless, there remain many challenges ahead to ensure that the monitoring process remains dynamic and relevant for the next decade.