Another year, #AnotherEurope

At the 11^th General Assembly of the Centre Maurits Coppieters, held in Katowice (Silesia) from March 31^th to April 1^st, the members of our foundation gathered to participate in political debates, discuss future developments of the organization and renew our commitment to researching cultural diversity in Europe.

Our member think tanks and associated experts from around Europe accepted the work programme for 2017, including events, studies, educational workshops and media projects. This year’s projects will focus on media and diversity, minorities and migrations, the environment, landscapes and national identities, as well as other political, social and economic issues affecting Europe’s diverse minorities and nations.

Reprenem l’assemblea @IdeasForEurope presentant les principals activitats de fundacions membres #Katowice17 pic.twitter.com/84Do4GCZt1

— Fundació Nexe (@fnexe) April 1, 2017

Our members also took necessary steps to prepare for our recognition as a ‘European political foundation’ under new European Parliament and Council regulations. Members of the General Assembly elected a new board of directors comprising of 11 members from Galicia, Catalonia, Corsica, Wales, Basque Country, Flanders, Ireland, Aragon and the Macedonian minority in Greece. Moreover, our network decided to adopt a new name for the organisation. ‘Coppieters Foundation’ was chosen for its simplicity and clarity, while also maintaining a link to Maurits Coppieters.

Our annual summit, organized together with the European Free Alliance, EFA Youth and Ruch Autonomii Slaska under the joint slogan “Silesia deserves autonomy”, spotlighted the case of Silesians who remain unrecognized as a national minority by Poland. Poland has breached domestic and international law concerning ethnic minorities by forcibly changing the administrative borders of municipalities without prior consultation thereby changing the demographic fabric of the region.