NATIONAL MINORITIES IN EUROPE AND THE CASE OF GREECE: DOES THE MACEDONIAN MINORITY HAVE RIGHTS IN THE HELENIC REPUBLIC?
Abstract
In the 20th century, most European nations formed their national states. Yet, given the fact that Europe is populated by many ethnicities, there is no national state that does not include an ethnic or religious minority within its territory. The development of human right guarantees at the global and European levels has contributed to the development of minority rights and their guarantees. Many legal documents in Europe guarantee the fundamental rights of minorities but the most important legal act is the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (1995). Despite being one of the most developed countries in South-eastern Europe and ratifying the CoE Framework Convention and other human rights legal documents, Greece has a hostile approach towards national minorities, especially towards the Macedonian ethnical minority. The first part of the paper analyzes the rights of national minorities in European legal documents: the CoE Framework Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950), and their significance for minority rights. The analysis also covers the position of minority rights in the law of the European Union. The second part of the paper focuses on the position and rights of the Macedonian national minority in Greece. While the reviewed legal documents show the European organizations’ commitments to guaranteeing minority rights, the research in this paper proves the Greek state’s violation of minority rights and, particularly, its antagonistic approach towards Macedonian minority rights.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Benoit-Rohmer, F., Klebes, H., (2005). Council of Europe law - towards a pan-European legal area, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg.
Jacheva-Ulchar, E. (2021). The cost-benefit analysis of the two neighbourly agreements with Bulgaria and Greece: the linguistic perspective, Security Dialogues/Безбедносни дијалози, Vol.12., No.1, pp.69-77, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353074582_The_cost-benefit_analysis_of_the_two_neighbourly_agreements_with_Bulgaria_and_Greece_the_linguistic_perspective
Kahl, T. (2010). "Singing without words". Language and identity shift among Slavic Macedonian musicians in Greece, Die Welt der Slaven, Vol. 55, No.2., pp.384-401, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291318721 Singing_without_words_Language_and_identity_shift_among_Slavic_Macedonian_musicians_in_Greece
Karakamisheva-Jovanovska, T. (2019). The Rule of Law and the Prespa Agreement – Two One-way Streets?, Iustinianus Primus Law Review 2019, https://pf.ukim.edu.mk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20.-Tanja-Karakamisheva-Jovanovska.pdf
Kyriakou, N. (2010). Minority Participation in Public Life: The Case of Greece, Available at https://ssrn.com/
abstract=1623558, or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1623558
Ringelheim, J. (2002). Identity Controversies Before the European Court of Human Rights: How to Avoid the Essentialist Trap? German Law Journal, Vol. 3, No.7, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43235797 Identity_Controversies_Before_the_European_Court_of_Human_Rights_How_to_Avoid_the_Essentialist_Trap
Roudometof, V. (1996). Nationalism and Identity Politics in the Balkans: Greece and the Macedonian Question, Journal of Modern Greek Studies, Vol. 14, No.2., pp. 253-301, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236830352 Nationalism_and_Identity_Politics_in_the_Balkans_Greece_and_the_Macedonian_Question
Stojkov, S. (2021). The continuation of communist-era totalitarian policies in the European Union: the case of Bulgaria, the Macedonian minority and Macedonia’s EU integration. Security Dialogues, Vol. 12, No.1, pp.49-67, http://periodica.fzf.ukim.edu.mk/sd/SD%2012.1%20(2021)/SD%2012.1%2006%20STOJKOV,%20S.%20-%20THE%20CASE%20OF%20BULGARIA,%20THE%20MACEDONIAN%20MINORITY%20AND%20MACEDONIA%E2%80%99S%20EU%20INTEGRATION.pdf
Tsilevich, B., (2001). EU Enlargement and the Protection of National Minorities: Opportunities, Myths, and Prospects, Open Society Institute, New York, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/63c3cacf-25a6-416d-bf0d-7d0e20d580a3/eu-minority-protection-20011001.pdf
Udrea, A., Constantin S., Djordjević, Lj. (2023). Kin-State Engagement And Its Impact On Minority Protection In Europe - Relevant findings for Southeast Europe, Council of Europe, https://rm.coe.int/kin-state-engagement-and-its-impact-on-minority-protection-in-europe-r/1680acfd8f
Legal Documents
Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia 52/1991. https://www.slvesnik.com.mk/content/pdf/USTAV-eng.pdf
Amendments I and II, Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia 1/1992, https://www.refworld.org/sites/default/files/attachments/54edf4ba4.pdf
Amendment XXXVI, Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, Official Gazette of the RM 6/2019. https://www.sobranie.mk/content/Odluki%20USTAV/odluka%20amandmani%20ustav-en.pdf
The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia as of 15 January 2014, Consolidated text, Official Gazette 56/90, 135/97, 113/00, 124/00, 28/01, 41/01, 55/01, 76/10, 76/10, 85/10, 5/14, https://www.usud.hr/sites/default/files/dokumenti/ The_consolidated_text_of_the_Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_Croatia_as_of_15_January_2014.pdf
CoE European Convention on Human Rights, Council of Europe, 1950. as amended by Protocols Nos. 11, 14 and 15 supplemented by Protocols Nos. 1, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 16, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, France; https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/convention_ENG
CoE Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Council of Europe, H (95) 10, 1995, ETS 157, Strasbourg, 1.II.1995, https://rm.coe.int/168007cdac
CoE European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992), ETS- 148, 5.XI.1992, Strasbourg, https://rm.coe.int/1680695175
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Official Journal of the European Union, C 326/391, 26.10. 2012, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:12012P/TXT
Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Prespa Agreement), Prespa, 17.4. 2018, https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/No%20Volume/55707/Part/I-55707-0800000280544ac1.pdf
Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, Council of Europe, ETS No. 177, 2000, https://www.echr.coe.
int/documents/d/echr/library_collection_p12_ets177e_eng#:~:text=The%20enjoyment%20of%20any%20right,property%2C%20birth%20or%20other%20status
Resolution (97) 10 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (17 Sept. 1997) on the monitoring arrangements under Articles 24 to 26 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/resolution_97_10_of_the_committee_of_ministers_of_the_council_of_europe_17_september_1997-en-baba1fcc-c8f8-43b9-94f5-d5d862cfb66a.html
The Treaty on European Union, Consolidated version, Official Journal of the European Union C 326/13, 2012; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=oj:JOC_2012_326_R_0001_01
Ustav Republike Hrvatske, pročišćeni tekst, NN 56/90, 135/97, 08/98, 113/00, 124/00, 28/01, 41/01, 55/01, 76/10, 85/10, 05/14.
Judicial Practice
Case Sidiropoulos and others v. Greece, 10 July 1998, ECtHR (Appl. no. 57/1997/841/1047) https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/
eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-58205%22]}
Case Ouranio Toxo and others v. Greece, 20 October 2005, ECtHR, (Appl. no. 74989/01), https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/
eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-70720%22]}
Case Macedonian Civilization House and Others v. Greece, 9 July 2015, ECtHR (Appl. no. 1295/10), https://hudoc.echr.
coe.int/eng?i=002-10813
Internet Sources
Britannica (2025). Macedonia, region, Europe (by L.Danforth), last updated 21. Feb.2025, https://www.britannica.
com/place/Macedonia-region-Europe;
Human Rights Watch (1994). Denying ethnic identity, The Macedonians of Greece (1994), Human Rights Watch, Helsinki, https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/g/greece/greece945.pdf
МКД (2024) Грција сепак го забрани Центарот за македонски јазик во Лерин (Greece still bans the Macedonian Language Center in Lerin 2024), MKD Portal News, 30.8.2024; https://mkd.mk/grcija-sepak-go-zabrani-centarot-za-makedonski-jazik-vo-lerin/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE-fe5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHe0kWauRYqXKx2JxSfm7hJEWKoT6wgpSih1IiHnuSFirVcECEgJP1uGG-Q_aem_nyyqdEFW7kanWzjWjqmHQA
Minority Rights Group (2018). Macedonians in Greece, Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/
communities/macedonians-3/
Minority Rights Group (2024). Macedonians in Albania, Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/
communities/macedonians/
OECE (2008). Statement by the Greek Delegation: Macedonian” minority in Greece, OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working Session 3: Fundamental Freedoms ll (30.9.2008), Working Session 5: Tolerance and Non-Discrimination l (1.10.2008), https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/9/9/33840.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FULP241120003P
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
ISSN 1450-5517 (Print)
ISSN 2406-1786 (Online)