16 June 2016. ECMI Director Prof. Tove Malloy participated in the hearing on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2015 at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

The Hearing was organized by the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and included two sessions: ‘Fundamental rights in the European Union in 2015: Assessing achievements and challenges’, and ‘The rights of minorities, Roma, intersex people and people with disabilities’. The objective of the hearing was to contribute to the on-going dialogue on the mechanisms and methods to better safeguard the fundamental rights of persons in the Union.

Prof. Malloy presented during the second session of the hearing, focusing on national minorities, current issues and concerns in Minority Protection and societal integration. Concentrating mainly on the countries examined by the Advisory Committee of the FCNM, she emphasized two perspectives:

1. The lack of political will and inertia within governments with regard to minority protection, and
2. The current political climate that allows right-wing movements to set an agenda of xenophobia and hate.

In her speech, Prof. Malloy examined the main substantive Minority rights that cause concern currently and highlighted that there is an uneven approach within the EU towards minority protection regime: “Not all member states have signed up to the European regime for minority protection, whereas those that have still need to step up their efforts; much is left to be desired with regard to all the major provisions for minority protection. Unfortunately, the EU is not able to step in but remains side lined due to the lack of competences in EU law.”

Read the full speech of Prof. Malloy at the LIBE hearing here

See the hearing programme here

Source: ECMI InfoChannel @ European Centre for Minority Issues.