Acta Universitatis Danubius. Relationes Internationales, Vol 10, No 1 (2017)

Abstract

Balkan states are multi-ethnic societies. Balkans is an illustrating case in terms of how important and can often be vital for a functional political system, the representation of minorities within the political system and society. Since the 90's, with the collapse of the Communist regimes, regions of Europe were involved in ethnic conflicts. Ethnic-based conflicts threaten the stability of the relevant region and the unification of Europe. In such a situation, international institutions, engaged in conflict prevention and stopping. They devoted special attention to the issue of minorities in neighboring countries, relevant. The position of minorities plays an important role for the stability and prosperity in general.

In the focus of the paper is to study the position of minorities in the Balkans. The issue of minorities in the Balkans will be treated in different historical periods, taking into account the specifics of the period. The study will have as its starting point the appearance of the issue of the minorities’ protection in the Balkans. There will be an analysis of the question when the protection of minorities is raised for the first time to higher international instances. There will be discussions on the solutions to the problems of minorities in the bilateral field. There will be a study of the engagement level of actual protection of minorities after World War II. Also, an object of the paper will also be the approach of the international community, international organizations to the position of minorities in the Balkan states. So, the paper aims to give an overview on the minorities issue in the Balkans.