Although the European Union has adopted rhetoric emphasising the importance of minority rights protections, it remains a contested issue for both internal and external policy. With neither legal competencies nor clearly agreed upon standards for rights protections, the inclusion of minority rights provisions among the accession criteria for Central and Eastern Europe raises important questions about the commitment within the European Union to positive developments and measured improvements in the situation of minorities throughout the Union. Minority issues are likely to remain important in future accession negotiations and if the European Union wishes to solidify its position as more than an economic organisation, it must seriously consider the manner in which policies and accession conditionality are applied.
Claire Loucks is a volunteer with the Roma Community Center in Toronto and has worked extensively on minority rights, migration, and Roma issues in Europe.
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