Minority Rights in the ‘New’ Europe

Examining the legal regime in the post-Cold War era which has developed in response to the demands of ethnic, racial and religious groups in Europe, these essays seek to examine the old problem of national minorities in the new Europe. They consider the response of the main institutions within Europe (the Council of Europe, OSCE and the European Union), the increasing recourse of states to bilateral arrangements, the developing content of minority rights, the challenges posed by state-building, and the resolution of conflicts involving national minorities. Particular issues discussed include the minorities situation in the former Yugoslavia and Ukraine (in particular in Crimea), the position of the minority Catholic population in Northern Ireland, and developments in the context of autonomous regimes and power-sharing arrangements. A collection of documents which supplement these chapters and are relevant to minority rights in the new Europe is provided at the end of the book.