L'Express.fr reports that eighty-four non-governmental organizations, centred around Minority Rights Group, have made a public plea for the four countries that have not yet ratified the Convention (Belgium, Greece, Iceland and Luxembourg) and the four other countries that have not even signed it (France, Turkey, Andorra and Monaco), to approve the document, which was drawn up by the Council of Europe exactly ten years ago.

In a collective statement, the NGOs claim the current situation is "worrying" because "minority populations are excluded" from the safeguards put in place by the Framework Convention. The moderate wording of the document asks states to guarantee the political, cultural, linguistic and religious rights of national minorities. Some states, such as France and Turkey, refuse to ratify the Convention on the grounds that the document is allegedly incompatible with their constitutions.

The group of NGOs has also called for individuals to be able to report cases where member states of the Council of Europe breach the Convention.

Further information:

• L'Express.fr: Paris invité à signer la Convention européenne sur les minorités