No macedonians in Macedonia, says European Parliament

No Macedonians in Macedonia, says Brussels
Skopje/Brussels /08:57/ 08:56
Macedonian nation in Macedonia has been renamed FYROMacedonians in an European Parliament's study on ethnic minority rights in the Western Balkans, local daily said.

Utrinski Vesnik daily claims this was the most cartoon-style expression ever used thus far in the European Union's efforts to please Greece.

"More shameful is the paragraph speaking about minorities in Serbia, in which the European Parliament uses the name Macedonians. This means that all Macedonians living outside Macedonia's borders can choose how to call themselves, while the Macedonians in Macedonia are still subjected to experiments of this type," Utrinski Vesnik's Brussels correspondent said in the front-page story with a headline "Brussels Renames Us FYROMacedonians".

"The most absurd of all is that the name FYROMacedonians, mentioned in the EP's report cannot be translated into Macedonian language (it will be something like BJRMakedonci) and that the EU has international obligations to accept the names established by the United Nations," the daily said.

The same source said the EP's study also features controversial contents on the state and rights of small ethnic communities in Macedonia.

The study notes that minorities, especially the smaller ones, are not sufficiently represented in political institutions, as they hold just 36 seats in 12-seat parliament. IN percentage terms, the smaller communities should hold one third of seats in parliament, the study says.

The study is mostly critical of the status and rights of Roma population.

The study was undertaken by experts at the request of European Parliament's Sub-Committee for Human Rights. The study is to serve as a ground for a debate on the Western Balkans slated to next month. /end/

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