Vladimir Petrovic

Difficulties in defining the (national) minorities in international law

The aim of this paper is to identify and warn of the importance of the phenomenon called "minorities," and that the actual time engages the attention of sociologists, economists, psychologists, and other scientific circles, both domestic and scientists throughout Europe and beyond. A necessary condition for determining the existence of minorities within a state, as well as for the enjoyment and protection of minority rights is a determination of the term minority. But the problems which may occur in the regulation of this issue is that the terminology of nature, and the question of the way, and if it does, regulate the legal status of minorities. This paper analyzes the concepts that are similar to the concept of national minorities, to the very group of demarcation, but also to facilitate the definition of minorities. At the international level there is a unique name for minorities. From numerous international and bilateral documents we can see that there are different names for minority groups: some minorities are defined by linguistic or religious criteria, other ethnic groups are called, and third national minorities; fourth national communities; five ethnic minority communities, and so on.

Key words: minorities, ethnic minorities, Тhe Council of Europe, Тhe United Nations, International law.