The European Foundation of Human Rights submitted a petition to the European Commission and the European Parliament to defend the education of national minorities in Lithuania.

During a gathering organised last Friday (02.09.2011) in front of the Presidential Palace, in order to defend polish education in Lithuania, the European Foundation of Human Rights came up with an idea to submit a group petition against the new Lithuanian Act on Education which discriminates against national minorities, to European Commission and the European Parliament. The petition calls on the European Parliament and the European Commission to undertake prompt measures against the Lithuanian Act on Education which has been accepted by the Lithuanian government on 17th of March 2011. The European Parliament should take on a resolution that would change the rules that discriminate against the national minorities. The European Commission should take measures against Lithuania, in accordance with Article 285 of the EU treaty and should make a complaint about the situation, to the European Tribunal.

Within less than two hours, the petition was signed by over 300 people. The rightness of the EFHR’s initiative is confirmed not only by the number of signatures under the petition but also by the speech of the leader of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, who claims that the Act has to be investigated by the European Commission.

The petition together with the signatures has been to the European Parliament and the European Commission, sent on the 5^th of September.

Anyone who did not yet get a chance to sign the petition can still do it. The document can be downloaded and sent to the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Download the petition in PDF format

A complaint can also be made by using the forms, which can be obtained from the European Parliament website or by clicking here. All you have to do is either make your own complaint or copy the contents of the petition into the electronic form and simply submit the end product electronically. Sending via the internet is free.

The filled in form that supports our petition can also be sent directly to us on this address: ul. Liepkalnio 103, Vilnius 2001LT. You can also visit out office in person between the following opening hours:

Mon. 9.00-13.00 Tues. 15.00-19.00 Wed. 9.00-13.00 Thu. 9.00-13.00 Fri. 15.00-19.00

Additionally, we have given out over 500 leaflets informing of the most important aspects of receiving and writing official letters to legal or government authorities, so that everyone can know what rights they have. The leaflet was prepared by the European Foundation of Human Rights.

The Foundation is here to defend human rights. Your rights!

European Foundation of Human Rights