European Centre for Minority Issues
Encyclopedia
The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) is a research institute
based in Flensburg
, Germany
, that conducts research into minority
-majority relations in Europe
. ECMI is a non-partisan and interdisciplinary institution. It is a non-profit, independent foundation, registered according to German Civil Law.
ECMI was established in 1996 by the governments of Denmark
, Germany and Schleswig-Holstein
. The Centre is governed by a board composed of nine members: three from Denmark, three from Germany, one representative from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
, one from the Council of Europe
and one from the European Union
. The institute's first director was Stefan Troebst, now Professor of East European Cultural Studies at the University of Leipzig
. The current director is Tove H. Malloy. The Centre employs a core staff and also hosts visiting fellow
s and visiting research associates.
The Centre organizes its activities around three principal themes. It is concerned with the evaluation and further development of universal, regional, bilateral and national standards that may assist in consolidating democratic governance on the basis of ethnic diversity and human rights. In this context, ECMI is also particularly interested in the emerging convergence of standards between EU members and applicant states. A second area of involvement relates to implementation procedures and mechanisms for these diverse standards and the study of their effectiveness. At times, ECMI has been invited to consider standards implementation and majority-minority relations in particular states in cooperation with the government of that state and local groups.
The Centre also maintains links to several regions of tension in Europe through its Regional Associates in Caucasus
and Kosovo
and provides multilevel training in institution and capacity building. This focus is organized through a Technical Assistance and Training Unit in the head office and in cooperation with numerous NGOs throughout Europe. In this regard, the Centre draws upon the successful history of managing minority issues in the German-Danish border region where it is based.
, Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe (JEMIE), in addition to co-editorship (with EURAC Bozen) of the flagship publication European Yearbook of Minority Issues. The goal of this publication effort is to increase the awareness and dissemination of topics on minority issues, as well as to encourage further research in this field.The following bibliographical references were chosen to underline that the publications of the European Centre for Minority Issues have over the years been widely cited in the field. The following are references from independent authors.
Territorial solutions for managing diversity and their changing role,Ethnic Conflict A Global Perspective,A Cat’s Lick:Democratisation and Minority Communities in the Post-Soviet Baltic,Nation-Building and Minority Politics in Post-Socialist States. ,What Has Limited the EU’s Impact on Minority Rights in Accession Countries. ,Do As I Say, Not As I Do.,Quiet Diplomacy in Action.,[Review of] European Yearbook of Minority Issues.,[Review of] European Yearbook of Minority Issues.
ECMI Kosovo
http://www.ecmikosovo.org
ECMI Caucasus
http://www.ecmicaucasus.org
JEMIE
http://www.ecmi.de/publications/jemie
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
based in Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, that conducts research into minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
-majority relations in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. ECMI is a non-partisan and interdisciplinary institution. It is a non-profit, independent foundation, registered according to German Civil Law.
ECMI was established in 1996 by the governments of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany and Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. The Centre is governed by a board composed of nine members: three from Denmark, three from Germany, one representative from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
, one from the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and one from the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The institute's first director was Stefan Troebst, now Professor of East European Cultural Studies at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. The current director is Tove H. Malloy. The Centre employs a core staff and also hosts visiting fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s and visiting research associates.
The Centre organizes its activities around three principal themes. It is concerned with the evaluation and further development of universal, regional, bilateral and national standards that may assist in consolidating democratic governance on the basis of ethnic diversity and human rights. In this context, ECMI is also particularly interested in the emerging convergence of standards between EU members and applicant states. A second area of involvement relates to implementation procedures and mechanisms for these diverse standards and the study of their effectiveness. At times, ECMI has been invited to consider standards implementation and majority-minority relations in particular states in cooperation with the government of that state and local groups.
Activities
The Centre organizes its activities around five thematic clusters. A Justice and Governance cluster is concerned with the evaluation and further development of legal standards that may assist in consolidating democratic governance on the basis of ethnic diversity and human rights. Other thematic clusters include Politics and Civil Society focusing on minority politics, especially the ability of minorities to participate both through public office and civil society functions. A Conflict and Security cluster focuses on constructive conflict management and addresses conflicts with an ethno-political dimension in the wider Europe. A Culture and Diversity cluster addresses the cultural issues of minority existence, in particular language and education but it is also concerned with the access of minorities to the media. A Citizenship and Ethics cluster focuses on both legal and socio-political aspects of membership in mainstream society, including ethical issues of toleration, respect and contribution.The Centre also maintains links to several regions of tension in Europe through its Regional Associates in Caucasus
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and provides multilevel training in institution and capacity building. This focus is organized through a Technical Assistance and Training Unit in the head office and in cooperation with numerous NGOs throughout Europe. In this regard, the Centre draws upon the successful history of managing minority issues in the German-Danish border region where it is based.
Publications
Over the years,the European Centre for Minority Issues has produced a number of Monographs, Reports , Working Papers and Issue Briefs,as well as the peer reviewed online open access journalOpen access journal
Open access journals are scholarly journals that are available online to the reader "without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself." Some are subsidized, and some require payment on behalf of the author.Subsidized journals...
, Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe (JEMIE), in addition to co-editorship (with EURAC Bozen) of the flagship publication European Yearbook of Minority Issues. The goal of this publication effort is to increase the awareness and dissemination of topics on minority issues, as well as to encourage further research in this field.The following bibliographical references were chosen to underline that the publications of the European Centre for Minority Issues have over the years been widely cited in the field. The following are references from independent authors.
Territorial solutions for managing diversity and their changing role,Ethnic Conflict A Global Perspective,A Cat’s Lick:Democratisation and Minority Communities in the Post-Soviet Baltic,Nation-Building and Minority Politics in Post-Socialist States. ,What Has Limited the EU’s Impact on Minority Rights in Accession Countries. ,Do As I Say, Not As I Do.,Quiet Diplomacy in Action.,[Review of] European Yearbook of Minority Issues.,[Review of] European Yearbook of Minority Issues.
See also
- Council of EuropeCouncil of EuropeThe Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
- Minority Rights Group InternationalMinority Rights Group InternationalMinority Rights Group International is an organisation founded with the objective of promoting respect for the human rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world...
- OSCE High Commissioner on National MinoritiesHigh Commissioner on National MinoritiesCreated on July 8, 1992 by the Helsinki Summit Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the High Commissioner on National Minorities is charged with identifying and seeking early resolution of ethnic tension that might endanger peace, stability or friendly relations between...
External links
ECMI Kosovo
http://www.ecmikosovo.org
ECMI Caucasus
http://www.ecmicaucasus.org
JEMIE
http://www.ecmi.de/publications/jemie