Ethnic minorities and models of mi­nority representation

The article deals with the issues connected with de­ fining the national minorities' policies within Central and East European Countries (CEEC) during the pro­cess of implementation the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for Protection of National Mino­rities, especially the question of minorities representa­tion and participation in political processes. It tries to define two contradictory models as alternative patterns for other states in the region which are contemporarily held in Austria and Hungary. Although the minorities' policies derive from the same roots in both countries (the Habsburg Monarchy) the models developed into various, contradictory forms.
The Hungarian model is based on the so-called minority self-governments as elected bodies for representing the minority interests in the general political processes on the local and state level. According to the author the model is to be developed into the form of "the state of national minorities" instead of the national state.
The Austrian model represents a reduced form of the ways of minority representation and political parti­cipation due to the historical circumstances of creating protection standards in Austria after WW I and II. This model is characterised - on top of it - by specific relation between the ethnic and the territorial principles.
According to the author these models of national minorities' representation can be observed at the same time as two polar alternatives for implementing the minorities' policy in other CEEC.