Description

The protection of national minorities is a core issue for
the Council of Europe, and one of the major achievements in this field
is the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
The entry into force of the Framework Convention on 1 February 1998
was indeed an event of universal stature, for it is the first ever legally
binding multilateral instrument devoted to the protection of national
minorities in general. Its importance is widely acknowledged, and the
number of ratifications is impressive.

The aim of this collection is to provide all those interested in
the protection of national minorities a user-friendly compilation of
the basic texts concerning the Framework Convention. In addition
to the Framework Convention and its explanatory memorandum, the
collection contains texts pertaining to the monitoring mechanism in
general and the Advisory Committee in particular. It further provides
the state of signatures and ratifications as well as declarations and
reservations.