2001-May 2002 Sally Holt.

The "European Yearbook of Minority Issues" provides a critical and timely review of contemporary developments in minority-majority relations in Europe. It combines analysis, commentary and documentation in relation to conflict management, international legal developments and domestic legislation affecting minorities in Europe. "Part I" contains scholarly articles and, in 2002/3, features two special focus sections ('Belgium' and 'New Minorities'), accompanied by a miscellaneous articles section. "Part II" reviews the implementation of minority legislation and international standards at the universal and regional levels as well as new developments in relation to them and contains a list of international norms. Apart from providing a unique annual overview of minority issues for both scholars and practitioners in this field, the Yearbook will be an indispensable reference tool for libraries, research institutes as well as governments and international organisations.

The "European Yearbook of Minority Issues" provides a critical and timely review of contemporary developments in minority-majority relations in Europe. It combines analysis, commentary and documentation in relation to conflict management, international legal developments and domestic legislation affecting minorities in Europe. "Part I" contains scholarly articles and, in 2003/4, features two special focus sections on The Impact of Islam in Europe and Economic Participation of Minorities. "Part II" reviews the implementation of minority legislation and international standards at the universal and regional levels as well as new developments in relation to them and contains a list of international norms. Apart from providing a unique annual overview of minority issues for both scholars and practitioners in this field, the Yearbook is an indispensable reference tool for libraries, research institutes as well as governments and international organisations.

This book addresses the legal feasibility of ethnic data collection and positive action for equality and anti-discrimination purposes, and considers how they could be used to promote the Roma minority’s inclusion in Europe. The book’s central aim is to research how a societal problem can be improved upon from a legal perspective. The controversy surrounding ethnic data collection and positive action severely limits their use at the national level. Accordingly, legal and political concerns are analysed and addressed in order to demonstrate that it is possible to collect such data and to implement such measures while fully respecting international and European human rights norms, provided that certain conditions are met. Part I focuses on ethnic data collection and explores the key rules and principles that govern it, the ways in which this equality tool could be used, and how potential obstacles might be overcome. It also identifies and addresses the specific challenges that arise when collecting ethnic data on the Roma minority in Europe. In turn, Part II explores positive action and the broad range of measures covered by the concept, before analysing the applicable international and European framework. It reviews the benefits and challenges of implementing positive action for Roma, identifies best practices, and gives special consideration to inter-cultural mediation in the advancement of Roma inclusion. The book concludes with an overview of the main findings on both topics and by identifying three essential elements that must be in place, in addition to full respect for the applicable legal rules, in order to combat discrimination and achieve the inclusion of Roma in Europe by complementing existing anti-discrimination frameworks with the collection of ethnic data and the implementation of positive action schemes.

This Commentary provides the reader with a review of international standards and practice relating to the political participation of minorities. Political participation has been increasingly recognized as a foundational issue in the debate about minority rights. It is argued that minorities are more likely to feel co-ownership in the state if they have the opportunity to participate freely and effectively in all aspects of its governance, and that sustained and meaningful engagement will guard against the sense of alienation and exclusion among minorities that often emerges in ethnically divided societies. Taking as its starting point the two most important standard-setting documents in the field - the Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life, developed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Council of Europe's Thematic Commentary on the Issue of Political Participation of Minorities - the Commentary locates the international legal entitlement to political participation within the wider context of the right to democratic governance. It also considers effective participation in relation to the right to full and effective equality, as well as the legal entrenchment of these provisions and implementation mechanisms. Individual chapters then consider each of the principal mechanisms aimed at enhancing political participation, ranging from procedures covering minority representation in political institutions to consultative mechanisms and autonomy solutions. The Commentary draws on a team of experts, all of whom are recognized authorities in this specialized area of minority issues.

For centuries autonomy has been a public policy tool used to provide stability and cohesion to multicultural societies. Examining case studies on non-territorial autonomy arrangements in comparison with territorial autonomy examples, this volume seeks to inform both design and decision making on managing diversity.

This book, the first in the series of publications on minority issues, provides a critical overview of the protection of minority groups in international law. Topics covered include: the definition of a minority, concepts of state sovereignty and self-determination; the historical context to international human rights law; the legal frameworks developed by the UN, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the EU; as well as examples of legal approaches adopted by individual European countries to address the protection of minorities.

This book is the result of a comprehensive and pioneering research project, and offers innovative insights into the life of the Meskhetian Turks - an ethnic group collectively deported from Georgia by Stalin during World War II. The volume examines their integration in the countries where they now live, their understanding of home and belonging and their desire to return to Georgia. Apart from thoroughly documenting the current life of Meskhetian Turks, the research also identifies new approaches in finding solutions to the issue of Meskhetian Turk displacement.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. This book presents a socio-legal enquiry into the civic marginalisation of Roma in Europe. Instead of looking only at Roma’s position as migrants, an ethnic minority or a socio-economically disadvantage group, it considers them as European citizens, questioning why they are typically used to describe exceptionalities of citizenship in developed liberal democracies rather than as evidence for how problematic the conceptualisation of citizenship is at its core. Developing novel theoretical concepts, such as the fringes of citizenship and the invisible edges of citizenship, the book investigates a variety of topics around citizenship, including migration and free movement, statelessness and school segregation, as well as how marginalised minorities respond to such predicaments. It argues that while Roma are unique as a minority, the treatment that marginalises them is not. This is demonstrated by comparing their position to that of other marginalised minorities around the globe.