Особливості формування та реалізації державної політики щодо захисту прав національних меншин (на прикладі України та Республіки Польща).

Abstract

The article reveals the essence of the term «national minority». In particular, the main features of national minorities are highlighted, namely: a smaller population than the rest of the country; the presence of cultural, linguistic, religious or racial differences from the majority of society; the desire to preserve their language, culture and traditions; awareness of one's own uniqueness and identity, desire to save and protect it; the presence of identification with a nation organized in another country.The authors analyze the process of forming and implementing state policy to protect national minorities in Poland and Ukraine. Scientists use quantitative (number and demographic characteristics of national minorities, territorial character of their settlements, financial support of national minorities by the state, political activity of national minorities, etc.) and qualitative (peculiarities of functioning of institutions that protect the rights of national minorities, the level of conformity of national minority rights protection policy with international standards, features of mechanisms of international cooperation in the sphere of the legal protection of minorities, satisfaction of information needs of ethnic minorities and others) criterias.Based on the research, the authors confirm that the state policy of Poland and Ukraine for protection of national minorities has both common and distinctive features. The most different are the quantitative and demographic indicators of national minorities in Poland and Ukraine. In addition, the authors state that by some qualitative criterias (the level of compliance of state ethnopolitics with international standards and the provision of national minorities with sources of information), Poland is ahead of Ukraine and creates conditions that more effectively contribute to the protection of the rights of national minorities.