Protection of National Minorities in the Balkans: the Case of Macedonian MinoritiesTasev, Donche (Avtor) Sancin, Vasilka (Mentor) National minoritiesprotection of minoritiesminority identityFCNMECHMECtHRMacedonian minoritiesright to mother tongue educationlinguistic rightsparticipatory rightsThis dissertation has examined the approaches adopted by certain Balkan and Central European countries towards protecting their national minorities, with the primary focus being the position and rights of Macedonian minorities in the neighboring countries of the Republic of Macedonia. The dissertation has argued that the right to identity is in many ways, in combination with other minority rights, the quintessential right for minorities within the wider scope of human rights. The hypothesis is generated from the concept of minority protection in general, and tested by analyzing the minority protection provisions in certain Balkan and Central European countries, especially focused on the position and rights of Macedonian minorities in countries neighboring the Republic of Macedonia. It finds support in international judicial and quasi-judicial case-law, which confirms that protection of the separate ethno-cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities is the core of the international protection of minorities. Some authors contend that the 'right to preserve a separate identity' is one of the two collective human rights that international law affords to minorities in general. In other words, while the vast majority of rights concerning minority protection are formulated in an individualistic manner, designed to protect the 'individual as a member of a minority', these rights are based on the interest of minority groups and a fortiori require collective exercise. Correspondingly, it should be reiterated that the principles of minority protection are based on the concept of substantive equality, and, consequently, composed of two pillars, namely: 1) the principle of non-discrimination accompanied by individual human rights relevant to minorities; and 2) special minority rights. The rationale behind the latter is to create conditions conducive to the protection and promotion of the ethno-cultural, linguistic and religious identity of minorities. It goes without saying that the right to mother tongue education in combination with linguistic rights and the right to participate in public and political life are of utmost importance for minority identity to flourish in the societies in which they live.20192019-05-15 07:45:03Doktorsko delo/naloga107698VisID: 86851COBISS_ID: 16780113sl