Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities visited Budyšin/Bautzen
26.01.2026
Pressrelease of Domowina from 22.01.2026:
A delegation from the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe visited Domowina – Zwězk Łužyskich Serbow | Zwjazk Łužiskich Serbow | Bund Lausitzer Sorben on January 22, 2026. During this visit, the members of the committee met with Domowina chairman Dawid Statnik, secretary general Judit Šołćina, and managing director Marcus Końcaŕ to learn about the current situation of the Sorbian people.
The committee members are tasked with assessing the entire range of issues covered by the framework agreement for all four national minorities in Germany: tolerance in society, issues of discrimination in the areas of language, education, media, administration, public bilingualism, and opportunities for participation in political decision-making.
During the discussion, Domowina highlighted education, media, digitization, minority policy, and the financing of the Foundation for the Sorbian People as challenges for the future. The committee was particularly interested in the political situation of the Sorbs with regard to right-wing extremism. The committee members are spending a whole week in Germany to prepare the sixth opinion with recommendations for Germany. As the representative body for the Sorbs, Domowina welcomes the personal discussions with the committee. This allows current developments in the protection of the Sorbian people to be discussed and taken into account by the Council of Europe experts in their report.
Background information on the Council of Europe's Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities:
According to Article 26, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities consists of independent experts elected by the Council of Europe. The committee has 18 members with recognized expertise in the field of minority protection/human rights, each elected for a four-year term. Dr. Jur. Detlev Rein is the member representing Germany. The Council of Europe's Advisory Committee prepares specific opinions for each country that has signed the convention, which are recorded after extensive monitoring. This includes reviewing government reports and other sources of information, as well as meetings with government partners, representatives of national minorities, and other stakeholders. The committee then prepares opinions with specific recommendations for individual authorities to resolve the problems identified. The most recent opinion dates from 2021. For this opinion, too, the Advisory Committee consulted with Domowina, among others, to learn about Sorbian affairs.
