MINORITY PROTECTION IN GERMAN-POLISH
RELATIONS – HISTORICAL INFLUENCE AND
CURRENT RELEVANCE
MINORITY PROTECTION IN GERMAN-POLISH
RELATIONS – HISTORICAL INFLUENCE AND
CURRENT RELEVANCE
Author(s): Andreas KulickSubject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, History of Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Published by: Instytut Nauk Prawnych PAN
Keywords: minorities; inter-war period; 1991 Polish-German Treaty; Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Summary/Abstract: The anniversaries of the 1970 Warsaw and the 1990 2+4 Treaties give occasion to revisit the matter of minority protection in German-Polish relations. The interwar system established a problematic unevenness that tainted its acceptance,particularly from the Polish perspective. After 1990 the minority issues achieved an increased, albeit moderate, relevance in German-Polish relations. To some extent the 1991 Polish-German Treaty on Good Neighbourly Relations and Friendly Cooperation retains the unevenness of the inter-war period, as Art. 20(1) recognizes a German minority in Poland, but refuses to acknowledge a Polish minority in Germany. However, currently the thorniest issues concern various situations related to the“Silesians” in Poland, which the Polish government does not recognize as a protected minority under the European Council Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
Journal: Polish Yearbook of International Law
- Issue Year: 2021
- Issue No: 41
- Page Range: 63-79
- Page Count: 17
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF