On 18-19 June 2018 in Kyiv, the 1st peer-to-peer meeting regarding the protection of national minorities was organized by the Council of Europe under the project “Strengthening the protection of the national minorities in Ukraine”. It gathered representatives of national authorities from Serbia, Czech Republic and Ukraine dealing with the topic of protecting national minorities at a central level, as well as the representatives of the seven regional administrations from Ukraine and the Ukrainian national minorities’ umbrella organizations.

The main scope of the meeting was to present the good practices and experiences of Serbia and the Czech Republic in the sphere of the protection of national minorities. The functioning of the executive structures dealing with the protection of national minorities, as well as the consultative mechanisms existing in these countries were discussed. The topics included the existing legislation and policies, the question of the responsible institutions and bodies at the central and local level, how the consultation bodies are established and national minorities effectively consulted. The exchange was detailed, substantial and fruitful.

The Head of the Department of the Religions and Nationalities, Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Mr. Andrii Yurash stressed that Ukraine should find the optimal formulas to protect national minorities. He mentioned that Ukraine is still facing a number of issues in this area but also made several important steps to improve the existing structures.

Ms. Olena Lytvynenko, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine underlined the important role of the Council in setting the principles of the national minorities protection in its member states. She mentioned that the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) are the two basic documents ensuring the common values and principles of the protection of national minorities.

The seminar created a good platform not only for discussing the mechanisms and the responsibilities of the national minorities’ protection but also created foundations for future exchanges and cooperation between colleagues from different members’ states.

The project “Strengthening the protection of the national minorities in Ukraine” is funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.