Resolution on the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Minority SafePack – one million signatures for diversity in Europe’

The European Parliament adopted by 524 votes to 67, with 103 abstentions, a resolution on the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘Minority SafePack - one million signatures for diversity in Europe’.

The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups.

A fundamental value of the EU

Members recalled that the protection of persons belonging to minorities is a fundamental value of the European Union, as is democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as explicitly set out in Article 2 of the EU Treaty. Minority languages and cultures are an essential and inalienable part of the EU’s heritage and culture.

While the protection of national and linguistic minorities is primarily the responsibility of Member State authorities, Members stressed the central role that the EU can play in supporting these authorities in this area.

The Commission is therefore invited to develop, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, a common framework establishing minimum EU standards for the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, which are strongly embedded in a legal framework guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights throughout the EU.

For their part, Member States are invited to take all necessary measures to uphold the rights of persons belonging to minorities and to guarantee full respect for these rights.

Stressing the need to respect linguistic rights in communities where there is more than one official language, Parliament called on the EU to raise awareness of multilingualism throughout Europe, through EU programmes and the active promotion of the benefits of multilingualism. It encouraged Member States to implement and ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Support for the nine ECI proposals

Expressing its support for the ECI, which calls for legislative proposals in nine separate areas, Parliament invited the Commission to follow up this initiative by presenting proposals for legislation based on the Treaties and the ECI Regulation, respecting the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.

The Commission and the Member States were invited to:

- launch anti-hate speech campaigns as well as to combat racism and xenophobia towards persons belonging to national and linguistic minorities;

- promote language learning throughout the EU, including the learning of minority languages; in this respect the ECI calls for the establishment of a European language diversity centre with the aim of protecting the rich diversity of European languages;

- take into account the needs of national and linguistic minorities when developing funding programmes;

- take into account the regional situation and develop measures to help cultural operators in expressing the freedom of culture, regardless of their linguistic or other specificities;

- take the most appropriate measures to support the development of media services with a view to ensuring that every European citizen has access to culture and leisure in his or her own language;

- undertake positive actions in favour of the large number of stateless persons living on the territory of the European Union who belong to national and linguistic minorities.

Parliament is of the opinion that cultural and linguistic identity preservation measures for the benefit of persons belonging to national and linguistic minorities must aim at positive action, including in the areas of education, culture and public services.