11. The Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations On National Minorities In Inter-State Relations: The Case Of Estonia

Abstract

This chapter discusses the Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations and interprets main messages sent by the High Commissioner through these recommendations to different audiences. As a member of the European Parliament, the authors have the advantage of commenting from the perspective of the European Parliament; the level of the European Union, which from the perspective of the OSCE can be called a regional level. Being a Hungarian member of that Parliament, the author comments also addresses the perspective of the member states, i.e. the national perspective. In the context of the European Union, the resolution of any outstanding security issues is a condition for accession. From the perspective of national minorities, a shift can be witnessed in the emphasis of the HCNM thematic recommendations. The newest set of HCNM recommendations might push both EU states and the minorities (!) towards using security-stability language again. Keywords:Bolzano Recommendations; Bozen Recommendations; European Parliament; inter-State relations; national minorities