The conference is attended by Members of the European Parliament, MPs of EU pre-accession and potential candidate countries, representatives of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, representatives of the ministries and independent state bodies in the Republic of Serbia, representatives of national minority councils, civil society organisations, as well as domestic and foreign experts.
Addressing the conference, National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojkovic said how pleased she was that the National Assembly is the co-organiser, with the European Parliament, of the conference dedicated to national and ethnic minority rights - a cornerstone of modern democracy. The protection of the rights and the position of national minorities, establishing the conditions necessary for the preservation of national identity with the possibility of integration into society are very important for Serbia as a multi-ethnic state, said the National Assembly Speaker pointing out that minority rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, laws and ratified international treaties. Maja Gojkovic also said that Serbian minorities are currently in the process of setting up their national councils, following the 26 October elections. Addressing the participants of the interparliamentary conference, the National Assembly Speaker stressed that Serbia is dedicated to EU membership and added that regional cooperation is one of the Parliament and state’s foreign policy priorities.
The participants of the conference were also addressed by MEP Ivo Vajgl, member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, who said that by organising the conference the European Parliament sends a clear message that it is dedicated to the EU enlargement process. It is important that the Western Balkan countries adopt European values and standards, said Vajgl stressing that the countries of the region have achieved considerable progress as regards the process of reconciliation and regional cooperation.

On the first day of the conference the participants analysed the national and supranational guarantees for the protection of ethnic and national minorities. Prof. Giovanni Poggeschi of the University of Salento and Pál Csáky, member of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, spoke about constitutional norms and electoral systems, their interpretation and the practice.
The conference also touched on promoting reconciliation, preventing security threats and creating an environment conducive to peaceful coexistence towards integrative citizenship of ethnic and national minorities. The Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality, Meho Omerovic, said that respecting human and minority rights is the cornerstone of a democratic society, which is very important for Serbia as a multi-ethnic state in a post-conflict period. Omerovic said that the legal framework for the protection of human and minority rights is good but it calls for additional efforts so that what is proclaimed in the Constitution and laws can be fully implemented. To that end, one of the key tasks of the National Assembly and its Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality is to strengthen their control role, stressed Omerovic. The state needs to come up with adequate reactions to all kinds of violence through an efficient penal policy and by removing the causes of violence by building a tolerant society, mainly through the education system, concluded the Chairman of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality.
Member of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs Ivo Vajgl and Emir Adzovic, Coordinator of the Joint European Union/Council of Europe Project Promoting Human Rights and Minority Protection in South East Europe, also spoke about the social integration of ethnic and national minorities.

Opening the second day of the conference, European Integration Committee Chairman Aleksandar Senic said that civic representation of minority rights and protection of national minority rights are a democratic heritage used to measure the maturity of a society, adding that regional cooperation is something the National Assembly is fully committed to. He emphasised the importance of representation of national and ethnic minorities in the context of the EU membership talks, saying that the topic is covered by negotiations chapter 23 - judiciary and fundamental rights.
“Serbia is determined to be ready to open chapters 23 and 24 and has fully engaged its administrative capacities for the task. The September 2013 screenings of these two chapters has formally launched a new stage in Serbia’s European integration process”, said Senic.
Stressing that the conference has followed closely after the elections for national minority councils in Serbia, Senic said that the Republic of Serbia has once again demonstrated its respect for national minority rights guaranteed by the Constitution and law.
“We fully expect the Serbian minority in other countries to enjoy the same degree of minority rights protection”, said the European Integration Committee Chairman.
The participants of the conference were also addressed by Csaba Sógor, member of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and Dr Tove Hansen Malloy, Director of the European Centre for Minority Issues, who spoke of the experience of the Western Balkan states and Turkey relating to the inclusion of minorities and other vulnerable groups, the importance of social cooperation and social cohesion.