Legal mechanisms for the protection of the rights of national minorities in local self-government in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

At the level of local self-governments, the needs and problems of national minorities in the effort to exercise their rights and to integrate can be best identified. Local public policies should strive to improve the existing normative framework, cooperate with the non-governmental sector and, including the media, constantly work to raise awareness and build an atmosphere that will encourage national minorities to seize opportunities, internationally and nationally recognized, in view of preserving their national identity. Local environments should be characterized by a culture of tolerance, dialogue, seemingly small but essentially large everyday struggles, to build a society that fights against discrimination, respects differences, and accepts them. The fight against ingrained prejudices must be constant. The aim of this text is to point out the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, which they can exercise at the local level, the difficulties they face, but also the weaknesses of certain legal solutions. The work also highlights examples of good practice in the protection and respect of the rights of national minorities, which should be followed, especially in AP Vojvodina, which has the largest number of multiethnic municipalities.