Coppieters Foundation

19/08/2026

30/07/2026

This year Summer School aims to provide a platform for stock-taking of non-kin-state minorities (NKSM) of various categories, examining their relations with host states, and the challenges they face in realising their linguistic, socio-economic, and political rights in the absence of an external kin-state. It will bring together young academics, scholars, and minority practitioners, offering a safe, intellectually nurturing space for networking and discussing the realities and profiles of NKSM in Europe.

While kin-state politics have garnered significant scholarly and political attention (including the 2025 Summer School organised by the Coppieters Foundation and ECMI), numerous minority communities in Europe do not benefit from the backing that kin-states provide and vary in size, territorial concentration, and legal standing. NKSM groups include territorially organised minorities (e.g. Catalans, Basques, and Corsicans), territorially concentrated but minoritised groups (West Frisians), small and endangered minorities (Sorbs and North Frisians), dispersed communities (Roma and Sinti), and Indigenous peoples (Saami and Greenlanders).

This Summer School will examine these five types of NKSM, allowing for a comparative assessment of how linguistic vitality, social cohesion, access to education, and relations with the state are shaped in the absence of a kin-state. Among other topics, Summer School participants will learn about the role of Europeanisation and international organisations in advancing the rights of NKSM.

🌐 Want to know more?
https://coppietersfoundation.eu/activity/event/2026-summer-school-europes-non-kin-state-minorities-profiles-and-realities/
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This Summer School is a joint initiative of Coppieters Foundation and the European Centre For Minority Issues .
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Photo by Frederik Schönfeldt on Unsplash
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This event is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the event nor the opinions of the speakers.

21/07/2026

European Commission has launched a call for projects to support Linguistic diversity under the Horizon Europe "Safeguarding linguistic diversity in Europe" projects.

Budget allocation of 11,5 Million EUR
Deadline for application is 23 September 2026

Projects should contribute to:

💬 Enhanced understanding, accompanied by documented good practices, showing what works to encourage multilingualism in society and what type of practices have led to safeguarding linguistic heritage, including lesser used, endangered and historically marginalised languages.

📊 Rigorous policy-relevant evidence, strategies and policy recommendations for promoting multilingualism and safeguarding linguistic diversity are available to policy makers, and users are involved in their development, especially the younger generation. Non-linguistic benefits of language maintenance and revitalisation are well documented, communicated and understood by different stakeholders.

🙋‍♂️ Citizens are empowered and engaged in the sustainable management of their own linguistic heritage and resources, with a focus on intergenerational dialogue and education activities, with particular attention to communities where oral transmission is the primary mode of language preservation.

📍🗺️ Maps and visual presentations showing the linguistic diversity in Europe are available, including a variety of existing languages (regional and minority languages, indigenous languages, low resources languages etc.) and offering suited terminology and explanations.

This is a great opportunity for civil society organisations, academics, and consortia advocating for higher levels of recognition, understanding and support for languages.

🌐 Want to know more ?

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-06?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&callIdentifier=HORIZON-CL2-2026-01&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate

08/07/2026

💡 NEW PAPER 💡 Revisiting the Evolution of Regional Paradiplomacy Towards the EU 💡

In recent decades, paradiplomacy has emerged as an increasingly important subject of scholarly inquiry and political practice, particularly within the multilevel governance architecture of the European Union (EU).

Yet, despite the field’s expanding empirical scope, theoretical development has not kept pace. This report seeks to address that imbalance

🌐 Want to know more?
https://coppietersfoundation.eu/activity/paper/revisiting-the-evolution-of-regional-paradiplomacy-towards-the-eu-a-comparative-analysis/
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This paper is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the event nor for the opinions of the speakers.

30/06/2026

The next EU Youth Strategy is an opportunity to strengthen democratic participation and ensure that all young people are represented and can shape Europe's future.

That's why we have worked, together with EFAY , on new ideas and proposals to contribute to the European Commission's public consultation on the EU Youth Strategy post-2027 and the call for inputs.

Our key asks for the EU's strategy is is to

(1) Recognise self-determination as a key element to improve representation, peace, conflict prevention, minority rights, and linguistic and cultural diversity.
(2) Create political, cultural and institutional conditions in which young people can see themselves as legitimate democratic actors, including when they come from communities whose aspirations or identities remain insufficiently recognised.

🌐 Want to know more?
https://coppietersfoundation.eu/activity/paper/contribution-to-the-public-consultation-for-the-eu-youth-strategy-post-2027/

25/06/2026

We have submitted a written contribution to the UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

This session focuses on Education for Civic Participation.

Our input draws on a youth dialogue we co-hosted with on 13 May, bringing together young people from civil society organisations, youth movements and political politics across Europe and beyond.

Our key asks for the Forum agenda is to

(1) Recognise self-determination as a key element for peace building, conflict prevention, minority rights, and linguistic and cultural diversity.
(2) Create political, cultural and institutional conditions in which young people can see themselves as legitimate democratic actors, including when they come from communities whose aspirations or identities remain insufficiently recognised.

🌐 Want to know more?
https://coppietersfoundation.eu/activity/paper/inputs-for-the-6th-session-of-the-forum-on-human-rights-democracy-and-the-rule-of-law-education-for-civic-participation/
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Photo by Cheng Lin on Unsplash
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This paper is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for its content or the opinions of the authors.

12/06/2026

"Through our conferences and studies, we will continue to advocate for the recognition of the peoples and nations of Europe and to stand as a symbol of cultural and linguistic diversity."

statment by Coppieters President Antonia Luciani.

Last week, we gathered think tanks, academia, civil society organisations and our members for a truly inspiring General Assembly of the Coppieters Foundation in Gandia:

During the day we had an engaging debate on the future of Europe and how Coppieters can keep advancing ideas around peace, self-determination, and the rights of minorities.

The meeting brought exciting news with the election of a new Bureau for the next 3 years. The new team is ready to get to work.

The future of Europe is ours to imagine, design, image and shape. Let's build it together. 🇪🇺

🌐 Want to know more ?
https://coppietersfoundation.eu/news/coppieters-foundation-elects-new-bureau-in-gandia-general-assembly-coppieters26/
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Coppieters Foundation is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the events, publications nor for the opinions of the authors and panelists.

09/06/2026

🌱 Our General Assembly 2026 is a wrap !

During 2 days of intense debates, more than 30 delegates from civil society organisations, think tanks and research centres came together to share their vision for a more democratic, equitable and peaceful Europe.

Our members debated current world and European challenges and defined priorities for our work programme in the years ahead.

Finally, we elected a new Bureau. Antonia Luciani will continue to lead the Foundation for the next 3 years.

Thank you to all who made it possible and contributed to the exercise !



🌐 Want to know more?
https://coppietersfoundation.eu/news/coppieters-foundation-elects-new-bureau-in-gandia-general-assembly-coppieters26

06/06/2026

General Assembly is a wrap!

Delegates from civil society organisations, think tanks and research centres came together to share their vision for a more democratic, equitable and peaceful Europe.

In our workshops we generated ideas through participatory methods to advance and consolidate:

📚 Cultural rights
📈 Economic rights to dispose of sovereignty over resources
✊ Civil and participation rights

In the formal sessions, the general assembly tackled the new regulation for political foundations and how to adapt to new requirements, it set priorities and planned activities for the year ahead, approving budget and workplan.

Also, a new bureau led by our president Antonia Luciani
is elected for the next 3 years !

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who contributed to making this General Assembly a success.

06/06/2026

General Assembly is a wrap!

Delegates from civil society organisations, think tanks and research centres came together to share their vision for a more democratic, equitable and peaceful Europe.

In our workshops we generated ideas through participatory methods to advance and consolidate:

📚 Cultural rights

📈 Economic rights to dispose of sovereignty over resources

✊ Civil and participation rights

In the formal sessions, the general assembly tackled the new regulation for political foundations and how to adapt to new requirements, it set priorities and planned activities for the year ahead, approving budget and workplan.

Also, a new bureau led by our president Antonia Luciani is elected for the next 3 years !

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who contributed to making this General Assembly a success.