The protection of national minorities is a core issue for

the Council of Europe, and one of the major achievements in this field

is the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

The entry into force of the Framework Convention on 1 February 1998

was indeed an event of universal stature, for it is the first ever legally

binding multilateral instrument devoted to the protection of national

minorities in general. Its importance is widely acknowledged, and the

number of ratifications is impressive.

The aim of this collection is to provide all those interested in

the protection of national minorities a user-friendly compilation of

the basic texts concerning the Framework Convention. In addition

to the Framework Convention and its explanatory memorandum, the

collection contains texts pertaining to the monitoring mechanism in

general and the Advisory Committee in particular. It further provides

the state of signatures and ratifications as well as declarations and

reservations.