The Minority Intergroup is Stronger than Ever

After the inauguration of the intergroup in December, the EP's Minority Intergroup began working in January 2015. EP representatives were present at the first session in exceptionally high numbers, calling attention to some of the most burning issues affecting national and linguistic minorities throughout the EU. “The strong attendance and high level of interest in the work of the Minority Intergroup shows how timely it is to be addressing these issues of national minorities in the European Union,” MEP Gál emphasized.

“The challenges these communities face must be voiced on an EU level. That's the platform that the Intergroup provides. It is important that these national and linguistic minorities have the same opportunities. Therefore, the majority society and the authorities in power have to treat them as equal citizens,” she said.

Participants agreed that the right to use one’s mother tongue in every aspect of life, especially in education, remains a necessary basic condition for preserving minority identity. The working group, thus, provides a forum for discussion and for common actions, which both the Member States and the EU must take into account.