Acta Universitatis Danubius. Relationes Internationales, Vol 12, No 2 (2019)

Abstract

Starting from comparative analysis of the status and the distinct characteristics of the South-Danube Romanians/ Vlach minority from the South East Europe (Aromanians,  Istro-Romanians, Megleno-Romanians/Vlachs) we point out in this article the specific situation of the Megleno-Romanians/Vlachs communities (around 14,000 people) who live today in  Greece and the Republic of Macedonia (their “native” homelands), in Turkey and Romania but also, in Serbia and different countries in Western Europe where they have recently emigrated. The strategies for preserving their identity highlighted by Dominique Belkiss, Vintilă Mihăilescu, T. Kahl s. a. m. d.  are analyzed as fundament  and  an encouraging  framework for  the legislation to support the identity of these minorities as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Recommendation 1333/1997 of the Council of Europe or the decisions of the UN Forum for people and minority languages from Bruxelles (7 May 2019).

Our conclusions point out the necessity to act by legislation in the direction of preserving the Megleno-Romanian language as the most important chance of survival for this South-Danube Romanians and by increasing of the “academic interest and research in the Meglen Vlachs“ which  we think,  together with  T. Kahl, that  “will stimulate the inhabitants to take a more active interest in the preservation of their cultural uniqueness”.