The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities has, since its entry into force on 1 February 1998, taken on great importance in addressing the challenges of minority protection in our evolving and increasingly diverse societies.The Conference held in October 2003 to mark the 5th anniversary of the entry into force of the Framework Convention provided an opportunity to review the practice developed in the course of the first five years of the monitoring of this treaty in States Parties. It allowed for in-depth discussion and analysis of the present but also the future of the Framework Convention. A number of key questions were debated, including the domestic application of the Framework Convention and how it stands in relation to other international systems. The Conference also covered some of the most salient issues for the protection of national minorities in areas such as participation in social and political life, media and education. This publication contains the reports and speeches of the Conference, which brought together more than 200 participants, all actively involved in the protection of national minorities in Europe today.
