In the turbulent aftermath of the First World War, when newly drawn European borders ignited profound political and ethnic tensions, Josip Vilfan (1878–1955) and Engelbert Besednjak (1894–1968) brought the question of the Slovene minority in the Julian March into the wider European debate. As president of the Congress of European Nationalities (1925–1938), Vilfan embedded minority rights within the discourse of international law, while Besednjak, through forceful speeches in the Italian parliament and extensive press activity, exposed the consequences of fascist denationalisation policies. Both recognised in Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi’s Pan-European Movement an early blueprint for a federated Europe founded on cultural diversity. Their complementary legal and moral commitment laid crucial groundwork for the post-war European standards governing the protection of national minorities.
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