Monitoring the EU accession process: Minority protection

The report focuses on the situation of the Roma and Russian-speaking minorities in the 10 candidate countries and the situation of Muslims and the Roma in five current EU Member States.

The author finds that the Roma and Russian-speaking minorities still face serious problems in the EU candidate countries. All Central and Eastern European countries have adopted special policies to improve the situation for their minorities, but these policies have not been fully and effectively implemented due to insufficient funding, ineffective administration and lack of political support from governments.

The report finds that the EU itself lacks a comprehensive approach to minority protection. The EU directives on racial equality and employment contain clear anti-discrimination standards, but these rules do not cover minority rights. The legislation puts no mechanism in place to ensure that Member States comply with the standards that exist or to monitor the implementation of compliance. In effect, few candidates or Member States to date have brought their legislation into compliance.

The report calls on EU accession candidates and Member States to develop and implement more comprehensive policies for minority protection, including measures both to protect against discrimination and to promote minority rights.