The first meeting of the working group for the preparation of the minority law

On April 29, 2025, the first meeting on the preparation of the legislative plan for the Law on the Status of National Minorities at the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for National Minorities took place.

Based on the invitation of Ákos Horony, the Plenipotentiary for National Minorities, our President and Senior Researcher, Dr Svetluša Surová, participated in the meeting of the working group as minority expert.

The Plenipotentiary for National Minorities has the status of an advisory body to the Government of the Slovak Republic. He carries out tasks in the field of preservation, development and promotion of the rights of members of national minorities, implements systemic measures to improve the status of national minorities, helps to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion, promotes understanding and tolerance of all inhabitants without distinction of nationality and language used.

The objective of the meeting was a consultation on visions, expectations and proposals on what the minority law should contain. The plenipotentiary shared the rationale for the preparation of the minority law. Representatives of governmental offices, different ministries such as justice, foreign affairs, culture, education and interior and the Slovak Academy of Science were present and all contributed to the discussion on how to proceed in this effort.

The first meeting on the preparation of the legislative plan for the Law on the Status of National Minorities was held at the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for National Minorities.

Our President and Senior Researcher, Dr Svetluša Surová, serves as an expert member of the Working Group for drafting minority law in Slovakia for a second time. It is a great honour for our Minority Issues Research Institute (MIRI) to be included and represented at this very important forum for the creation of minority law. 

Previous drafting of the minority law

During the period from 2020 to 2022, Dr Svetluša Surová has thoroughly written about the process of minority law preparation and suggested legal instruments for the protection of national minorities.

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Watch the recording from the conference on Minority Rights and Their Legislative Regulation

The conference aimed to create a platform for discussion to clarify the need to adopt a comprehensive legislative regulation of the rights of national minorities through a single law; to present the historical context of minority legislation; to identify the shortcomings of the current legislative regulation; to become familiar with international experience; to define the objectives of the new legislation and to highlight the benefits of the adoption of the new Law on the Status and Rights of National Minorities.

Conference on Minority Rights and Their Legislative Regulation, organized by the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for National Minorities.