Brussels, 10/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 10 May, the General Court of the EU confirmed that the European Commission was right to refuse registration of the proposed European citizens' initiative to promote the development of geographical areas populated by national minorities.
This initiative seeks to ensure that the Union's cohesion policy preserves the specific ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics of certain territories. With a decision of 25 July 2013, the Commission refused to register the proposed initiative. In its decision (C- 529/13), the Court therefore finds in favour of the Commission. It confirms that the political, administrative and institutional situation existing in the member states must be respected when defining the concept of 'region'. Consequently, the European Union must take this situation into account when any acts are adopted.
The Court also observes that preservation of the specific ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics of certain territories is not an aim that could justify the adoption of an act under the cohesion policy of the European Union because it is difficult to consider such characteristics as debilitating.
The EU's cultural policy therefore cannot be invoked because the act as proposed by the initiative cannot be used to protect cultural diversity represented by national minorities. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)