Regional systems 139 civil society, at both the European and local levels, to obtain the best possible information on progress and possible shortcomings in reform efforts. The European Union provides focused pre-accession financial aid to candidate and potential candidate countries in order to help them introduce the necessary political, economic and institutional reforms to comply with EU standards. A key focus of such assistance is human rights, the protection of minorities and development of civil society. Considerable technical and financial assistance to vulnerable groups, including minorities, is provided under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, which covers a wide range of activities in areas such as education, social protection, non-discrimination and reconciliation. One example of such assistance is a multi-beneficiary project that addresses the widespread lack of personal documentation held by Roma in Western Balkans countries by assisting Roma to obtain identity papers – often a precondition for access to education, employment or social security. Support to civil society development and dialogue focuses on three primary areas: • Support to local civic initiatives and capacity-building to enforce the role of civil society; • Visitor programmes to EU bodies for groups with influence over decision-making and society, such as journalists, young politicians, trade union leaders and teachers; • Partnerships between the European Union and civil society organizations designed to lead to the transfer of knowledge and networks. Another financial instrument with a clear focus on supporting civil society is the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), which is discussed below. In the preaccession context, the European Instrument projects for persons belonging to minorities are predominantly aimed at reducing social disparities; improving quality of life; and strengthening social cohesion through integrating disadvantaged people, combating discrimination and strengthening human capital, notably by reforming education systems. The European Instrument funded a project in Turkey, for example, to create the conditions to improve cooperation between majority and minority ethnic, linguistic and religious communities and to encourage the peaceful resolution of conflicts in Turkish society. Information about the European Commission’s support for civil society to participate in the enlargement process is available from the Commission’s website.177 Minority rights and European Union external relations The European Union has made human rights a central aspect of its external relations, through its political dialogues with third countries, actions in multilateral forums such as the United Nations and development policies and assistance. The promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities is a key feature of its external human rights policy. The European Union supports the Minorities Declaration, which it considers to be the key reference text on the rights of persons belonging to minorities at the global level. In Europe, the legal framework is influenced by the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (see chap. XII). The European Union seeks to integrate human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, into all aspects of its external policies. In order to examine these issues in greater depth in its bilateral relations with certain countries, the European Union has initiated human rights dialogues178 in which it regularly raises minority issues with third countries. Civil society is closely See http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/tenders/support-for-civil-society/index_en.htm (accessed 4 December 2012). 177 See http://eeas.europa.eu/human_rights/dialogues/index_en.htm . An update on the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Dialogues is available from www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/16526.en08.pdf (accessed 4 178