Urging the European Commission To Act Issue of National Regions Returns to the EU Court

11/19/2025

The issue of national regions has once again entered a judicial phase: on November 13, 2025, Balázs Izsák, president of the Szekler National Council (SZNT) of Romania, filed a lawsuit before the General Court of the European Union after the European Commission declared that it does not intend to launch legislative action on the matter despite the European Citizens’ Initiative’s success.

Lawsuit Objective: Compel the Commission to Take Substantive Action

The SZNT has set out three main goals:

  1. For the General Court to annul the Commission’s decision rejecting the Initiative.
  2. For the General Court to obligate the Commission to reconsider the Initiative on substance and draft a legislative proposal supporting national regions.
  3. To protect the European Citizens’ Initiative as an institution, which is undermined if the Commission can ignore the will of citizens without consequences.

The Will of More Than 1.2 Million EU Citizens at Stake

The citizens’ initiative—officially titled “Cohesion policy for the equality of regions and the sustainability of regional cultures”—aims to ensure that EU cohesion policy gives special attention in the future to those territories which, due to their national, cultural, linguistic or religious characteristics, have specific needs. One such area is the Székely (Szekler) Region of Romania.

More than 1.2 million EU citizens signed the Initiative, which meet all formal requirements. According to the organizers, it is therefore disgraceful that the Commission, despite such popular support, has ruled it “does not intend to take any substantive measures.”

Faulty and Incomplete Commission Reasoning

According to the lawsuit submitted by the SZNT, the Commission:

  • did not fulfil its obligation to state adequate reasons for rejection,
  • included several statements in its decision that are “incorrect or untrue,” and
  • acted contrary to EU law in several points.

The SZNT’s legal brief emphasizes that the Commission committed “numerous omissions” to the detriment of Europe’s national minority regions. Based on the Commission’s argumentation, the organizers of the Initiative also infer a shift toward a vision of a “global European superstate” in which little room remains for the cultural particularities of regions with distinct national identities.

The Commission Acknowledges: Article 174 Can Be Supplemented

Although the Commission rejected the proposal to enact new legislation, its statement does  establish an important principle: Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)—which lists Europe’s disadvantaged regions—may be supplemented by other regions, including national regions.

The organizers consider this a major achievement, as it constitutes an acknowledgement by the Commission that national regions indeed have legitimate development-policy needs.

The Outcome Will Be Crucial for Other Minority Regions As Well

The result of the case may be decisive for the Székely Region and other minority regions that currently do not receive focused attention within EU development policy. If the General Court rules in favor of the SZNT, it could reshape the approach of EU cohesion policy and strengthen support for cultural diversity.

National Regions EU Citizens’ Initiative Rejected: Legal and Political Implications

9/13/2025

On September 3, 2025, the European Commission issued Communication C(2025) 6015, in which it rejected the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) launched by the Szekler National Council (SZNT) of Romania. The initiative sought recognition within the EU cohesion policy for the specific characteristics of “national regions” (European Commission, 2025a).

Originally launched more than a decade ago, the initiative aimed to ensure that EU cohesion policy provides special consideration for regions “with national, ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics that are different from those of the surrounding regions” – in other words, the regions of  EU Member States inhabited by national or linguistic minorities (National Regions, 2025). Specifically, the initiative formulated three demands:

  1. Equal access to EU structural and cohesion funds.
  2. Non-discrimination, ensuring that EU financial instruments are not used to weaken regional identities.
  3. Protection of cultural diversity, including long-term support for regional languages and traditions.

The initiative received nearly 1.3 million validated statements of support from EU citizens and reached the necessary thresholds in eight countries thereby fulfilling the formal requirements of the ECI mechanism.  Its progress, however, was hindered by years of litigation until the Court of Justice of the European Union (Case C-420/16 P) ruled in 2019 that the Commission had unlawfully denied the Initiative’s registration. With the support of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) and the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), the initiative was formally submitted on March 4, 2025.

The Commission’s Arguments

In rejecting the initiative, the Commission set out three main arguments (European Commission, 2025b):

  • The Commission lacks competence to define “national/ethnic regions,” to establish a list of such regions, or to amend NUTS statistical units on ethno-cultural grounds.
  • No new legislation is necessary, as the existing cohesion policy already ensures equal treatment.
  • Available evidence does not demonstrate systemic disadvantages for minority-inhabited regions in the allocation of cohesion funds.

The Commission also emphasized that existing mechanisms – including horizontal anti-discrimination principles, EU cultural programs, and Member State-level implementation – sufficiently safeguard community rights.

Critical Reactions

The decision provoked sharp criticism from minority organizations. According to Loránt Vincze, Member of the European Parliament (RMDSZ) and President of FUEN:

“The European Commission has become detached from the citizenry; has once again* ignored the opinion of some fifty million European citizens belonging to indigenous national and linguistic minorities.”

Vincze further noted that European Citizens’ Initiative mechanism, created more than a decade ago, has yet to result in any binding legislation. He described this as evidence of both a “democratic deficit” and a “rule of law problem.”

Ongoing Debate and Prospects

“Although the European Commission claims that the indicated problems have been solved, the minorities concerned have not seen any evidence of this,” statedLoránt Vincze.

“For us, this decision is unacceptable,” declared Balázs Izsák, president of the Szekler National Council. The Council and its partners indicated that they would prepare a detailed assessment of the Commission’s 25-page decision and would continue advocacy at the European level, even turning to the courts.

Thus, the debate has not ended: while the Commission maintains that the existing political and financial frameworks are sufficient, minority communities maintain that these mechanisms do not adequately ensure the long-term protection of indigenous communities.

*On June 5, 2025, the European Court of Justice rejected an appeal by the Minority SafePack European Citizens’ Initiative (MSPI), which sought the European Union to adopt comprehensive legislation ensuring the protection, support, and fair treatment of autochthonous national minorities.

Conclusion from HHRF

The Hungarian Human Rights Foundation finds that the long-term success of European integration is inconceivable unless EU policy acknowledges the existence and addresses the needs of regions with distinct national, linguistic, cultural, or religious heritage. Coming upon the heels of the Minority SafePack European Citizens’ Initiative rejection, the European Commission’s September 3 position on national regions represents another missed opportunity for the European Union to advance minority rights.

The European Commission’s position also demonstrates the limitations of the current European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) framework in enabling citizens to participate meaningfully in the democratic life of the Union. For this reason, its decision is not only disappointing for national minority and minority language communities but also undermines the trust of all European citizens who seek to use democratic mechanisms to advance fundamental rights in the EU.

The consistently expressed legitimate aspirations of 50 million EU citizens who belong to national and linguistic minorities must finally be addressed in a substantive, comprehensive manner.

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