UN Forum on Minority Issues — "Minorities and Effective Political Participation"— Geneva 12-13 Nov. 2009 Mrs. Chairperson, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to point out some issues. Concerning the Political Participation of Minorities in the Balkan States, focused on Macedonarmans, known also as Macedo-Vlachs, Vlachs, one of the oldest European peoples, living in their historical motherland, the ancient Macedonia, nowadays —Greece, Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and also in Romania(in diaspora) — after Macedonia was devided (1913, after the Balkan War), I prepared a powerpoint presentation which has been sent to the Secretariat of the forum. I just want to point out some concluding remarks regarding unrecognized minorities, who are excluded from political processes. These minorities are prevented to exercise their rights, to have access to all form of political decision-making, at all exesting levels, rights which are focused in all International Standards and European Union Standards on minority issues. The non-recognition of "de facto" existent minorities, an obstacle to the effective political participation, leads to the marginalization of these minorities and ultimately to the exclusion from the political life. This point of view is also mentioned in the background document on Minorities and Effective Political Participation by the independent expert on minority issues, Mrs. Gay McDougall. In this sense, the "best negative" example is Romania. The Romanian government, based on its Government Decision H.R. 589 / 2001, in fact a vicious circle, refuses any dialogue on this issue with the Macedonarman Community of Romania. Although, conform to the Romanian Constitution, Art. 6 ( the right to identity ), the Macedonarman minority exists "de facto", but it is "de jure" not recognized. Furthermore, that means a violation of all International and European treaties with regard to minoriy issues, treaties that. they already have signed and ratified. The second issue I would like to point out, regards to the definition of "national minority" made by Albanian government, considering national minority only that minority who has a "kin state", this fact leads to discrimination and prevents a "non-kin state" minority to enjoy all internationally established rights. Concerning the EU Standards, it is indeed to appreciate the first legally binding reference on minority rights in the history of the European Union, the text of the Constitutional Treaty, that includes „the rights of persons belonging to minority groups", although insufficient for a clear and real protection of minorities. Even, each of the both legally Council of Europe documents, the Framework Convention for the Protection *of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages(ECRML), constitues only a passiv minority protection, insufficient for the real protection of minorities; an active approach, that is what minorities have been waiting for Thanks for your attention ! I.Mantsu — President of Macedonarman Council