Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages

08/10/2026

Back to the field — where minority rights become real

Today in Strasbourg, at the Minority Intergroup, we looked at how minority languages are actually lived and used: through minority-language media, in public institutions and in everyday life. From regional newspapers to the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia (Ukraine), we discussed what it takes for a language to remain an active part of both private and public life.

Martxelo Otamendi, President of MIDAS, representing 29 minority-language daily newspapers from 12 countries, spoke about the vital role of minority-language media. Reading a newspaper in your minority language is more than consuming news — it is also a statement about your identity, your community and your place in public life. At the same time, digitalisation and artificial intelligence are bringing new challenges to the media landscape.

We also heard from our guests from Transcarpathia, Kornélia Hires-László and Ildikó Orosz, who presented their work on language accessibility. Their research and hard work, carried out under the difficult circumstances of war, show the determination of the Hungarian community to actively live and use its language — not only in private life, but also in institutions and in the public sphere.

This is what minority rights should mean in the European Union and in countries that aspire to join it: not simply protecting languages on paper, but creating the conditions for communities to use them freely and confidently in everyday and public life.

Eskerrik asko denoi!
Köszönjük szépen!

08/10/2026

07/10/2026

And this is what the European Day of Languages, dedicated to minority and regional languages organised by Members of the , looked like in the European Parliament video — with a little Frisian addition, as a reminder that Europe’s linguistic diversity goes beyond the cut.

Source: European Parliament and Intergroup

29/09/2026

Europe speaks many languages — and we are here to make sure they continue to be spoken, used and celebrated.

We did it again: on the occasion of the European Day of Languages, the brought regional and minority languages to the heart of the European Parliament, with an exhibition at the EP Info Hub, developed together with the Federal Union of European Nationalities ( ).

The presence of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola underlined the importance attached to Europe’s linguistic diversity and to the communities that keep these languages alive.

We were also pleased to welcome Vice-President Sabine Verheyen, Andriy Zayats, Head of the Council of Europe Liaison Office in Brussels, Arno Kompatscher, Governor of South Tyrol, and Olivia Schubert, President of FUEN. The event was hosted by MEP Loránt Vincze, Chair of the Minority Intergroup.

Beyond the EU’s official languages, more than 60 regional and minority languages are spoken across the EU — each carrying its own history, culture and identity.

Languages are living testimonies of who we are.

And we did not only talk about linguistic diversity — we heard it and experienced it: Csángó Hungarian folk songs by Panna Demeter and Frisian-language hip-hop by Pieter Gysbert Zijlstra brought Europe’s linguistic diversity to life.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make these languages visible, heard and celebrated at the European Parliament.

Photos: European Parliament and Minority Intergroup

19/09/2026

How can minority and regional languages be better supported?

Helsinki–Helsingfors, this year’s host city of the Congress, offered a powerful example: Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority.

FUEN President Olivia Schubert highlighted how the Swedish-speaking community in Finland is a shining example of minority protection working successfully in practice.

Linguistic rights, education in one’s own language and political participation are not abstract principles, but part of everyday life. Finland’s legal framework for its Swedish-speaking population is an important example of how states can facilitate and protect the use of minority languages.

Chair and former FUEN President Loránt Vincze informed Congress participants about new developments in the European Parliament, including geo-blocking and its implications for national and linguistic minorities, as well as wider challenges such as digitalisation and the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The discussion also brought together a range of perspectives, including those of former Intergroup member and former OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors.

With more than 100 member organisations from across Europe, the FUEN Congress is a valuable moment for exchange, (re)connection and strengthening cooperation for minority rights.

We look forward to continuing the dialogue and our cooperation with FUEN in the months ahead.

Photos FUEN and Intergroup

17/09/2026

A further step in the cooperation between the and the Council of Europe

At today’s Intergroup meeting, we welcomed Hallvard Gorseth, Director at the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Democracy. The meeting followed our visit last year to the Council of Europe’s Secretariat dealing with the rights of national and linguistic minorities.

The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages are important safeguards. Promoting them in Parliament, supporting their implementation and encouraging further ratifications are in our common interest.

We discussed a number of concrete issues, including the challenges facing the Sámi in the context of climate change, the situation of women belonging to national minorities, and the Council of Europe’s country visits, which give minorities an opportunity to speak openly about their situation.

Enlargement policy was also on the agenda, with a particular focus on monitoring and minority-protection standards, including in war-affected Ukraine, where a new country report is expected after a long gap since 2017.

The Council of Europe’s recent studies on minority languages in the digital age and young people’s language use should also be presented in the respective European Parliament committees.

Finally, we discussed the rise of hate speech, which often targets national minorities. The Council of Europe is currently preparing a new convention aimed at preventing and combating hate speech.

Many thanks for today’s fruitful exchange and for the continued cooperation. It is important that the European Parliament and the Council of Europe maintain an active and substantive dialogue on minority rights.

13/09/2026

Back to plenary in Strasbourg

Next week, MEPs will convene for the first plenary session of the European Parliament after the summer break. On 16 September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also present her State of the Union address.

Ahead of her speech, Members of the are calling on the Commission President to deliver real progress for Europe’s traditional national and linguistic minorities.

They deserve the support and protection needed to participate fully as equal citizens of the European Union — with their languages, cultures and identities respected and preserved.

Across Europe, minority and majority communities alike are navigating profound changes, from climate and economic pressures to the rapid digitalisation of everyday life. These developments are increasingly shaping how younger generations use, learn, and pass on their mother tongues, while also influencing which languages are represented and supported in the digital world.

We look forward to concrete steps at EU level that can make a real difference for Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity.

Will you be following the State of the Union address? Members of the will be there, listening closely and continuing to speak up for the rights of these communities.



Photo: European Parliament

16/06/2026

When great ideas meet innovative technology, meaningful progress follows.

members put European minority, regional and minoritised languages firmly on the digital agenda.

For the future of research, innovation and accessibility, it is essential that traditional and linguistic minorities are part of the conversation on how technology and AI can best serve multilingual regions where more than just official languages are spoken.
Representatives from civil society, academia, public institutions and the private sector came together to explore how innovation can strengthen minority language communities and support the use of minority languages in the digital age.
As Minority Intergroup Chair Vincze Loránt highlighted, we now have a real opportunity to make digital progress a lifeline for minority languages. Inclusive AI can support everyday language use, increase visibility, and help pass linguistic heritage on to future generations.
The digital future must be built with linguistic minorities, ensuring that technological progress reflects Europe's rich linguistic diversity and creates opportunities for all.
A special thank you to Microsoft and The Parliament Magazine for co-organising this important discussion and bringing together such a diverse group of stakeholders. Microsoft's LINGUA project is a strong example of how technology can help support linguistic diversity across Europe.

20/05/2026

The European Parliament calls on Slovakia to end land confiscations based on the Beneš Decrees.

Today represents an important step for national minorities. With the adoption of its resolution on Slovakia, the European Parliament has clearly taken a stand in support of national and linguistic minorities. It has called for the repeal of legal provisions that negatively affect minorities, including the Criminal Code amendment that criminalised questioning the post-war decrees applying the principle of collective guilt against Hungarian and German national minorities, as well as legislation enabling the confiscation of land and forests.

For a long time, governments claimed that land confiscations based on the decrees were an internal issue. However, the European Parliament has now shed light on these breaches of fundamental rights and the rule of law. Now is the time to act and resolve issues affecting several EU citizens, not only in Slovakia but in other countries as well.

Thanks to the longstanding commitment of the Members of the , this issue has been followed from the very beginning. Experts, investigative journalists, and civil society have also played an important role in bringing facts and evidence to the attention of EU institutions.

Photo: European Parliament

19/05/2026

Commissioner Hadja Lahbib engages with Members of the Minority Intergroup on the situation of traditional minorities

Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is clear in prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of language and membership of a national minority. In this context, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib underlined during an exchange with Members of the that linguistic diversity should be better protected and promoted in the European Union.
Following previous discussions with Glenn Micallef last autumn and with Michael McGrath in March, Members of the Intergroup welcomed the Commissioner responsible for Equality, whose portfolio also covers the protection of minorities.
The Minority Intergroup continues its work in support of the rights of traditional national and linguistic minorities in Europe. In the period following the , the needs and expectations of minorities have not changed. Citizens belonging to minorities wish to live, work and learn in their mother tongue, to access audiovisual content in their language, to receive communications in their language—including in emergency situations—and to benefit from equal access to EU funding opportunities, just as other citizens do.
While EU competences are defined by the Treaties, Article 2 TEU clearly identifies the protection of minorities as one of the European Union’s fundamental values.
“Égalité” lies at the very heart of our European project. This principle must be genuinely upheld throughout our societies, ensuring that no one is excluded or discriminated against. Europe must continue to move forward in supporting traditional national and linguistic minorities, as it has already done in many other fields.
Merci Madame la Commissaire pour votre présence et cet échange constructif.