Authors Iain Begg | Gabriel Glöckler | Anke Hassel ... - The Europaeum

However, the countries’ planning documents fail to specify the budget and
terms for the financing of initiatives aimed at supporting the protection,
social inclusion and representation of minorities in public life.
Similarly to the legal framework, financial instruments have also seemed
inconsistent and their effectiveness has been difficult to assess. Even if
pre-accession instruments have underlined the importance of government
intervention in addressing the social exclusion of minorities, the lack of
evaluation and the ambiguity of monitoring reports on minority funding
indicate the lack of a real engagement by the EU. 26 Arguably the most
significant shortcoming of these EU initiatives has been the absence of a
mechanism ensuring the participation of minority groups themselves in
programmes aimed at improving their situation.
Overcoming the economic and
social exclusion of minorities
This paper has presented evidence suggesting that the EU has had a
different approach to regional cohesion when compared to that of social
cohesion. Whereas the former issue has been addressed with a coordinated
policy and great financial effort, the latter seems to lack both a policy
agenda and harmonised financial instruments. Without undermining the
importance of reducing regional disparities, the EU cannot leave aside
social inequalities and in particular the problems experienced by
vulnerable minority groups in old and new member states.
In order to meet the objective of “economic and social cohesion” among
its 27 member states, the EU will have to start taking a more assertive
position on minority rights. Minority protection in the EU needs to be
structured with a stronger policy agenda, demonstrated through (1) legal
provisions for collective minority rights and (2) stronger financial
instruments targeting minority groups.
So far, the EU’s approach to internal diversity has revolved around a
comprehensive framework for anti-discrimination, whose provisions
must be transposed into domestic law by member states. Although the
Race Directive is a promising instrument for the protection of cultural
diversity, anti-discrimination provisions – essentially individual rights –
cannot alone ensure the protection of minorities. Rather, nondiscrimination
and minority rights should be seen as complementary,
respectively ensuring equality and preserving diversity. Social cohesion
cannot be achieved without legal provisions tailored specifically to
vulnerable minority groups and ensuring their participation in the
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After the crisis: A new socio-economic settlement for the EU