FUEN Board Meeting has been held in Brussels

Elected in June 2013, members of the FUEN Board has for the first time summoned with the new members of European Dialogue Forum

Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) Board and FUEN European Dialog Forum have held their first common and parallel meetings at the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels on 25 September 2013. Hosted by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Iuliu Winkler, a member of the Hungarian minority in Romania, FUEN Board summoned under the chairmanship of FUEN President Hans-Heinrich Hansen and FUEN Vice-Presidents Halit Habipoğlu, Bernhard Ziesch, Loránt Vincze, Olga Martens and Dieter Paul Küssner and joined by Youth of European Nationalities (YEN) President Fatma Reşit.

FUEN President Hansen noted FUEN Board meeting taking place in Brussels under the premises of the European Parliament as a unique occasion and therefore reiterated gratitude to Mr Winkler for his gracious support. Whilst centered on “1 Million Signatures” campaign of the European Citizen Initiative, the opening remarks of the President was followed up by set of activities and task distribution among the new board members, who will be on duty in the next three years.

As a result of the discussions on institutional structuring, FUEN Vice-President Martha Stocker (South Tyrolean People’s Party) has been designated as the FUEN Vice-President in charge of rules and regulations. Loránt Vincze (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians of Romania – RMDSZ) and Dieter Paul Küssner (Sydslesvigsk Forening – Danish Minority of Germany) have unanimously been elected as Vice-President in charge of relations with the European Parliament and the Vice-President in charge of organising 2014 FUEN Congress in the border region between Denmark and Germany.

Halit Habipoğlu (ABTTF, Western Thrace Turkish Minority) has been elected as Vice-President in charge of relations with the FUEN member associations in Balkans with unanimous vote. Vice-President Habipoğlu will carry out his post with the support of Jenni Ali-Huokuna, members’ coordinator and supervisor for internal affairs at the FUEN Secretariat. In addition, Bernhard Ziesch (Domowina, Sorb Minority of Germany) and Olga Martens (IVDK – German Minority of Russia) has unanimously been elected Vice-President in charge of FUEN’s finances and Vice-President in charge of Russian speaking minorities under FUEN’s umbrella.

Besides, in parallel with German Minorities Working Group and Slavic Minorities Working Group within the FUEN structure, Vice-President Halit Habipoğlu’s proposal to set up third working group dedicated as “Turkish Minorities Working Group” has been approved by the board members.

Having “1 Million Signatures” Campaign as its main concern, the board concluded that the open discussion to take place on 26 September 2013 at the EP shall give way to the first concrete action to be taken upon the Commission’s refusal of registry to the proposed citizen initiative on 16 September 2013.