STATUS OF SERBS IN ROMANIA AND ROMANIAN NATIONAL MINORITIES IN SERBIA

Abstract

Serbia and Romania have traditionally good regional cooperation and stable bilateral relations and in that context the protection of national minorities, respect for minority rights and the preservation of ethno-cultural identity takes a special place. Bilateral agreement signed by Serbia and Romania is of great importance for the position of minorities, interethnic relations, as well as for foreign policy of Serbia and the positive outcome of the process of eurointegration. In other words, good relations with neighbors from the Euro- pean Union, and especially those whose members as national minorities live in Serbia, are a condition for the progress and accession of Serbia to the European Union. In this sense, the minority issue is a commitment of Serbia in order to successfully integrate members of all minorities into society, better interethnic relations, improvement of relations between states, as well as political stability, economic development and prosperity.

This paper analyzes the population dynamics, the number and spatial distribution of the Serbian minority in Romania and the Romanian minority in Serbia, bearing in mind that these demographic indicators are crucial for the realization of basic minority rights, then bilateral agreement between these two countries, as well as the challenges of minority policies in bilateral and regional cooperation. Serbia advocates the protection of the Romanian minority in its territory, the realization of their minority rights through an active state policy that implies full integration into society while preserving ethnonational identity. At the same time, Serbia is interested in the Serbian minority in Romania enjoying human and minority rights guaranteed by international conventions, national laws and bilateral agreement, to improve their position, and to preserve the linguistic, religious and cultural identity.