Back Towards better protection of minority rights in Serbia: “Guidelines for the work of National Councils of national minorities” presented in Novi Sad

photo: Provincial Government

photo: Provincial Government

The “Guidelines for the work of National Councils of national minorities in Serbia” were presented in the Great Hall of the Parliament of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (AP Vojvodina). The main purpose of the Guidelines, prepared within the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Promotion of diversity and equality in Serbia”, is to offer practical instructions and advice in one place for the members of the National Councils of national minorities and support them with the main instruments and mechanisms for the protection of national minority’s rights.

“These Guidelines are a valuable and most useful tool for national councils to put their powers into practice. The Secretariat has a very successful co-operation with national councils from the territory of AP Vojvodina and takes measures to provide support in order to implement their statutory competencies as efficiently as possible, in order to fully implement the collective rights of national minorities living in AP Vojvodina", said the Vice-President of the Provincial Government and the Provincial Secretary for Education, Regulations, Administration, and National Minorities – National Communities, Zsolt Szakallas.

The need to address, emphasise and present some of the most important issues related to the work of national councils in a more practical way was highlighted by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue. Thus, development of these Guidelines was supported by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in Serbia, in co-operation with the European Union and Council of Europe.

"The Guidelines provide a clear instruction for local self-governments that apply laws passed in the National Assembly throughout Serbia, and the Government of the Republic of Serbia is responsible for their implementation. We need the living word of us who are the tools, to be sure that the protection of national minorities - national communities on the entire territory of the Republic of Serbia is applied and improved. Thanks to this document, users have a clearer picture of how the Law on national councils is applied and how they can make the best use of its capacity," said Minister Gordana Comic in her remarks.

"Society in Serbia is rich in ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity. The Framework Convention on National Minorities provides important guidelines for achieving equality for all members of national minorities, and national councils of national minorities play an important role in achieving this goal, " said Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade ahead of the promotion.

photo: Provincial Government

István Pásztor, President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina said that the Republic of Serbia is a multinational state, which is not our merit, but a consequence of historical events, and that countries in that situation can choose different paths - one is the path of conflict, and the other is to take this circumstance not as a risk but as wealth.

"Serbia has chosen the latter path in the last few decades, and I am proud to be a part of the political actors who have contributed to that. These days we are marking 12 years since the adoption of the Law on National Councils of National Minorities, next year will be the end of the third mandate of national councils, and this is an extraordinary opportunity to summarise everything that can be drawn as a conclusion and experience", said President Pásztor.

The promotion of the Guidelines was attended by representatives of national councils of national minorities based in Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. After the presentation, a discussion was held regarding the application of the instructions and recommendations included in this publication.

This event was organised by the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities – National Communities, in co-operation with the action “Promotion of diversity and equality in Serbia”, that is a part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.

Novi Sad 26 August 2021
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