Federal Union of European Nationalities FUEN ADVISORY BOARD

FUEN-Advisory Board
of representatives of regional and political institutions

1. The FUEN Committee intends to
• foster mutual exchange of information
• achieve a possible coordination of the activities in favour of national minorities
• take on consulting activities to accompany FUEN in its work, to provide non-material and material support
• to plan and carry out mutual activities

2. Representatives from regional governments and parliaments of regions where regular members of the organisations live may participate in the Committee. As far as states do not have similar institutions or if there are special reasons in favour of such, representatives from states may be admitted.

3. The members of the Committee can identify themselves with FUEN and support its work.

4. Participation in the Committee is voluntary and does not oblige the institutions represented by members.

5. The Committee constitutes itself and provides its own inner order. It convenes as required, but at least once per year on the occasion of the FUEN Congress and the FUEN Assembly of Delegates.

6. The Committee is continually informed on the business of FUEN.

7. Where important conceptual issues of FUEN are concerned, the Presiding Committee will call upon the Committee for consultation.

8. The Committee can submit proposals of a general kind as well as concrete projects to the FUEN Presiding Committee.

9. The administrative work and invitations will be handled by the Committee itself. The FUEN Secretary General will be available for support in administrative matters.

The development of the FUEN-Advisory Board

10 December 1999: FUEN-Advisory Board in Kiel / Schleswig Holstein / Germany:

On the invitation of FUEN, a first meeting took place from 9 to 11 December 1999 in Kiel/Flensburg between the Schleswig-Holstein Representative Assembly and the government of the state of Schleswig-Holstein with the aim of establishing a so-called FUEN Advisory Board. Further meetings of this kind have been planned.

Background to the FUEN Advisory Board:

Idea:
Representatives of the political institutions (governments and parliaments) of countries in which FUEN member organisations live and which morally and financially support and foster the activities of FUEN will form an independent, informal FUEN Advisory Board. In this way, FUEN expresses that the demands of the national minorities essentially depend on constructive cooperation between the minorities and the political institutions of the regions and countries. With this, it also underscores a prime characteristic of a mature democracy, in which organisations of civil society and political institutions work together in partnership.

Purpose:
Information exchange; coordination of activities to support national minorities; provision of advice by FUEN; support and development of its own and joint initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe; support and development of its own and joint initiatives in European and international institutions (Council of Europe, EU, OSCE; UN, etc.) and FUEN financial support.

The meeting in Kiel was marked by an extremely constructive and friendly atmosphere. With a declaration of intention in mind, the idea was welcomed and it was resolved to convene a constituting meeting at the next FUEN Congress of Nationalities in Komárno/Slovakia.

01 June 2000: FUEN-Advisory Board in Komarno / Slowakia:

The FUEN-Presidium is happy to announce that the FUEN-Advisory Board that was formed during the 45th FUEN-Congress in Komarno / Slovakia is now taking up its activities. The Advisory Board consists of representatives of political state institutions in whose areas minorities live, and it will be coordinated by the President of the State Parliament of Brandenburg, Dr. Herbert Knoblich. The Advisory Board will follow the work of the FUEN and give advice where needed. At the same time it will promote the exchange of experiences among the political decision-makers.

At the constitutional meeting in Komarno were present:
Anderwald, Karl DDr. Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung / Kärnten / A - Klagenfurt
Arquint, Romedi, FUEN - President and Member of the Regional Parliament of Grisons / CH - Cinous-chel
Atz, Roland, Autonome Region Trentino-Südtirol / I - Bozen
Duka-Zólyomi, Arpád MP Magyar Koalicio Partja Party of the Hungarian Coalition / SK - Bratislava
Elle, Ludwig Dr., FUEN - Vice-President / D - Bautzen
Goßmann, Rolf, DH-MIN of the Council of Europa, D - Bonn
Gyurcsik, Ivan, Government Office for Ethnic Hungarian Affairs Abroad / H - Budapest
Hansen, Hans Heinrich, FUEN - Vice-President / DK - Haderslev
Henriksen, Niels, Grænseforeningen, DK - København
Hosp, Bruno Dr., FUEN - Vice-President, Südtiroler Volkspartei (SVP) / I - Bozen
Knoblich, Herbert Dr., State of Brandenburg / D - Potsdam
Komlóssy, Joseph v, FUEN - Vice-President / CH - Dübendorf
Nickelsen, Frank, FUEN - Secretary General / D - Flensburg
Pècsi, Ferenc MP, Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség / RO - Bucuresti
Schnack, Renate, Government of Schleswig-Holstein, D - Kiel
Wittstock, Wolfgang Member of Parliament / RO - Brasov

All meetings:

10.12.1999: Kiel / D
01.06. 2000: Komarno/Komaróm / SK
26.05. 2001: Heerenveen/ Heerenfean / NL
11.11. 2001: Bozen / Südtirol / I
15.02. 2002: München / D
11.05. 2002: Subotica / YU
30.05. 2003: Bozen / Südtirol / I
22.05. 2004: Kamien Slaski / PL
07.05. 2005: Bukarest / RO
27.05. 2006: Bautzen / Budysin / D
17.05. 2007: Tallinn / EE

All chairmen / chairwomen:

from 1999 - 2001:
Dr. Herbert Knoblich, President of the Regional Parliament of Brandenburg

from 2001 - 2005:
Renate Schnack, Commissioner for Minority Affairs, Schleswig-Holstein Government

since 2005:
Dr. Detlev Rein, Head of Section of the German Ministry for Interior

State, science and minority in dialogue
1st FUEN Civil Society Dialogue Seminar in Sankelmark

During two preliminary seminars, which took place in 2005 in Bucharest and Sankelmark, the states of Romania, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were requested to compile a report on the status quo of the
national minorities and ethnic groups on the basis of an FUEN questionaire.The first results of these seven reports were presented by project coordinator Johan Häggman as PDF and as PPoint

Chairman of the Advisory Board is Dr. Detlev Rein,
Head of Section of the German Ministry for Interior

	Since 2000 Dr. Rein is Head of Section of the German Ministry for Interior. He is responsible for minoriy issues in Germany, the German minority in Denmark, International Minority Law Issues and for international NGOs. Furthermore he is been elected as the deputy chairman for the Council of Europe`s expert commitee for issues regarding the protection for national minorities.

Latest session of the FUEN Adisory Board on 17th May 2007 in Tallinn / Estonia