INTERETHNIC CONFLICT IN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

In recent decades, although some authors predicted the “end of nationalism,” ethnic conflicts remain one of the dominant forms of mass political violence. Since 1950, the number of interethnic conflicts has continuously increased. Respect for the right to belong to a certain “minority” is one of the fundamental values of the European Union. This is explicitly stated in Article 2 of the Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union, where it is emphasized that “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity, and equality between women and men prevail.“. Additionally, European legislation and programs contribute to the fight against discrimination, which includes the right to belong to a minority community. Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits discrimination, including on the grounds of ethnic origin.
The European Union is naturally and inevitably composed of various nations and ethnic groups. The treatment of minorities varies from state to state. Following the emergence of the European Union, some theorists believe that by transferring certain rights to a supranational organization, European states are entering an era of post-nationalism, wherein they become interdependent on political, economic, and social levels, and nationalism will no longer represent the most significant political value. Nevertheless, nationalism still prevails as a foundation for political legitimacy—an axiom which holds that only national self-governance constitutes a legitimate form of rule.
Today, within the European Union, there are nine active conflicts of an ethnic nature. These are unresolved and ongoing issues of varying intensity, such as: Catalonia and the Basquein Spain; the issue of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia and Romania; the Russian minority in Estonia and Latvia; the Corsicans in France; the dispute between Turks and Greeks in Northern Cyprus; and the issue of the Serbian minority in Eastern and Western Slavonia in Croatia.This paper mapsactive interethnic conflicts within the European Union, analyzes the Europeans Union’s role in resolving these conflicts, examines them in terms of demands for greater autonomy or secession, and traces the intensity of these conflicts from 2003 to 2023.