Participation of national minorities in public life. Legal marks

• Author: Tudor Tanasescu
• Position: Lecturer PhD BioterraUniversity of Bucharest, Faculty of Law
• Pages: 87-90

PARTICIPATION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN PUBLIC LIFE.

LEGAL MARKS

Tudor Tănăsescu

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Abstract

Participation of national minorities in public life results from the principles of equal

rights and discrimination and it is closely related to exercise their rights of identity (in its

own culture, to use their mother tongue, to practice their religion and profession). Exercise

of this right creates favorable conditions to persons belonging to national minorities to

exercise their rights of identity and thus to protect their national identity, ethnical, linguistic,

cultural and religious.

In reference to that law, the international documents provide the rights of persons

belonging to minorities to take part in political, economical, social and cultural life.

Participation in public life of persons belonging to national minorities or ethnic,

religious and linguistic diversity is part of the fundamental human rights which apply to all

persons without discrimination.

Keywords: national minorities, participate in public life, basic human rights system,

the framework convention.

Introduction

Issues concerning minorities, namely the preservation and development of ethnical,

linguistic and religious identity for persons belonging to minorities can only be satisfactorily

resolved in a democratic political framework based on rule of law, since it is the only way to

ensure full respect for the rights and fundamental freedoms, equal rights and status of all

citizens, free expression of all legitimate interests and aspirations.

In the context of the above, the new international documents provide the rights of

persons belonging to minorities to take part in political, economic, social and cultural.

Thus, document C.S.C.E. of the Copenhagen Reunion since1990

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stipulates that the

participating states will respect the rights of persons belonging to minorities to participate

effectively in public affairs, especially in activities relating to the protection and promotion of

minority identity in question. Subsequently, the Declaration on the rights of persons

belonging to national or ethnical, religious and linguistic adopted at the UN 1992

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provides

that persons in that category are entitled to participate effectively in cultural, religious,

social, economic and public life(Article 2 paragraph 2).

Developing this concept, the Declaration provides (Article 2, paragraph 3) that those

persons entitled to participate effectively in decisions at national and where appropriate,

regional, minority issues relevant to which they belong or regions where they live, in a

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Lecturer PhD BioterraUniversity of Bucharest, Faculty of Law

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Adopted on 29 June 1990 at the Reunion from Copenhagen Conference on Human Dimension of the CSCE,

also signed by Romania.

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United Nations General Assembly adopted (18.XII.1992) no.47/135

Resolution.