The role of European integration in the transformation of Romania and Slovakia’s legislation regarding the rights of national minorities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31558/2519-2949.2022.4.3Keywords:
ethnopolitics; European Union; Romania; Slovakia; European integration; EU law; ethnic minorities; nationalism; inter-ethnic relations; political conflictsAbstract
The focus of the article is on reforming the systems of protection of the rights of national minorities in Romania and Slovakia in the context of these states’ accession to the EU. Special attention is paid to the deep factors that underlie the contradictions between ethnonational groups within the countries and affect contacts in the external arena. The purpose of the article is to study the connection between the integration of Romania and Slovakia into the EU and the transformation of their national legislation regarding the rights of national minorities. The need to analyse and, if necessary, adjust decisions in the field of ethnopolitics amid Ukraine’s integration into the EU makes such a study timely. In addition, the rights of national minorities remain a sensitive issue in European politics, which makes this topic relevant for research. As a result, the article examines the correlation between the requirements of European institutions regarding reforms in Romania and Slovakia before and after their accession to United Europe and the adoption of normative acts regarding national minorities in both countries. To achieve these goals, the prerequisites for the development of important normative acts of Romania and Slovakia in the field of ethnopolitics, the sequence of their adoption and the content of the relevant documents were investigated. In his research, the author is based on the assumption that the integration of Romania and Slovakia into the EU significantly influenced the systems of ensuring the rights of national minorities in both countries, and formed their current structure and mechanisms. The author states that the European integration of Romania and Slovakia stimulated changes in the systems of ensuring the rights of national minorities in both countries. In particular, it was reflected in the implementation of the basic principles of respect and protection of minorities, commitment to democracy and human rights to the legislation of each state. Therefore, the author proves that European integration helped countries lay a new foundation for their own ethnopolitics.
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