Brussels, 25/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Austrian Conservative Reinhard Rack feels that the future EU Charter of Fundamental Rights should recognised the collective rights of minorities so as to protect them at a European level against all forms of discrimination. He feels that the members of a national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious minority should have the right to openly and collectively express the particularities, to freely and peacefully gather and to associate in complete freedom and the right to settle, themselves, their internal affairs.
In a press release, Mr. Rack recalled that the Austrian government also intends to incorporate the protection of Austrian minorities among the objectives set by Austria in its Constitution. "A Europe of subsidiarity must respect and guarantee the rights and traditions of its national and regional minorities," asserted Mr. Rack who does not hide that his move is also incorporated into the future enlargement and the protection of German minority rights in the candidate countries. He cites in particular the Czech Republic and Slovenia.