European Parliament Conference: Minority Rights in the EU Enlargement Process

Opportunity to hear from leaders of the Hungarian and Romanian minorities of Ukraine in a European Parliament Conference:

Minority Rights in the EU Enlargement Process

Organized by Lóránt Vincze, MEP and the Minority Intergroup in the European Parliament, 
on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 from 10 am to 12 pm EST,
in Brussels and online.

For online participation please register here until Monday, May 22, 2023.
Please write “inapplicable” in the field labelled “position” and indicate “online participation.”

We are pleased to invite you to a European Parliament conference on “Minority Rights in the European Union Enlargement Process.” This event will shed light on the impact of the EU enlargement process on minority rights and explore various perspectives on this important topic.
 
A detailed program follows. Distinguished speakers and experts will cover the influence of accession criteria on the minority policies of candidate countries, political engagement in minority protection, and the perspective of minority communities in Ukraine.

 

There will be an opportunity for Q&A.
The working languages of the conference are English, Hungarian, and Ukrainian with simultaneous interpretation.
 
Registration is required: register here
DRAFT PROGRAM (All times EST)

10:00 – 10:10 am      Opening remarks

  • Loránt Vincze, MEP, Co-Chair of the Minority Intergroup, President of FUEN (Federal Union of European Nationalities)
  • Francois Alfonsi, MEP, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Co-Chair of the Minority Intergroup

10:10 – 10:20 am     Keynote speech by Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement
10:20 – 10:35 am     The impact of the accession criteria on the development of minority rights policies in the candidate countries

  • Tove H. Malloy, PhD, Professor European Studies, Europa-Universität Flensburg, External Lecturer International Studies, Roskilde University

10:35 – 10:55 am   Political engagement in minority protection

  • Željana Zovko, MEP, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo

10:55 – 11:20 am  EU enlargement from the point of view of national minorities in Ukraine

  • Aurika Bozhescu, Executive Secretary of the Romanian, Community in Ukraine (CRU)
  • László Brenzovics, President of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ)

11:20 – 11:40 am   Q&A session
11:40 – 11:50 am  Conclusions by Michael Gahler, MEP, EPP Foreign Affairs Coordinator
11:50 am – 12:00 pm Closing remarks by Kinga Gál, MEP, Member of the Committee onForeign Affairs, Co-Chair of the Minority Intergroup and by Andrea Bocskor, MEP, Substitute member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

 

For online participation please register here until Monday, May 22, 2023.
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