ACTIVITIES OF THE PROTECTOR OF CITIZENS For the exercise of national minority rights, amendments to the Law on National Councils of National Minorities99 are of great importance, as well as other laws which regulate the subjects of importance for national minority rights – the Law on the Protection of National Minority Rights and Freedoms100 and the Law on Official Use of Language and Alphabet.101 Nevertheless, regardless of the good normative framework, there still are certain problems with regards to the execution of authorizations of national councils of national minorities. The complaints of national councils of national minorities received by the Protector of Citizens in 2019 in the field of education, information, official use of language and alphabet, as well as with regards to the very functioning of the national councils of national minorities also indicate to this. Apart from acting upon received complaints, the Protector of Citizens implemented in the reporting period numerous activities with the aim of the promotion of the exercise of national minority rights. Taking into account the substantial role which national councils of national minorities have in the exercise of national minority rights, the Protector of Citizens established in 2019 the practice of holding quarterly meetings with representatives of all national councils of national minorities which are established in the Republic of Serbia. These meetings are an opportunity for the discussion about the position of national minorities, problems that national councils face, planned activities of national councils as well as the cooperation with the Protector of Citizens. In 2019 meetings were held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Novi Pazar and Subotica. At the fourth quarterly meeting representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and the Office for Human and Minority Rights participated. Apart from the practice of holding quarterly meetings, the Protector of Citizens held in the reporting period several individual meetings with presidents of the national councils of national minorities.102 Within the joint project of the Council of Europe and European Union titled “Strengthening of the protection of national minorities in Serbia”, representatives of the Protector of Citizens participated as lecturers at round table to the topic of the official use of language and alphabet of national minorities organized in Sombor, Medveđa, Vranje, Bujanovac and Bosilegrad. At these events employees at city and municipal administrations, members of the council for international relations, representatives of national councils of national minorities, civil society organizations took part. At these round tables the joint publication “Introduction to the Exercise of Right to Official Use of Languages and Scripts of National Minorities” was presented103, which was prepared by the Protector of Citizens, Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Republic Secretariat for Legislation and the Council of Europe. The publication was designed for employees at local self-government units and is an overview of legal novelties in the field of the official use of languages and scripts of national minorities. With the aim of continual promotion of the exercise of rights of members of national minorities and perception of the manner in which national councils of national minorities exercise the legally provided public authorizations, with the assistance of the OSCE Mission, “Official Gazette of RS“, no. 72/09, 20/14 – УС, 55/14 и 47/18 (adopted on 20.06.2018). “Official Gazette of FRY“, no. 11/02, “Official Gazette of SM“, no. 1/03 – Constitutional Charter “Official Gazette of RS“, no. 72/09 – state law, 97/13 – CC decision and 47/18. 101 “Official Gazette of RS“, no. 45/91, 53/93, 67/93, 48/94, 101/05 – state law, 30/10, 47/18 and 48/18 - corr. 102 Meetings were held with representatives of national councils of Bunjevac, Slovakian, Egyptian and Russian national minorities. 103 Available at: https://www.pravamanjina.rs/attachments/article/699/Uvod%20u%20ostvarivanje%20prava%20na%20službe nu%20upotrebu%20jezika%20i%20pisama%20nacionalnih%20manjina,%20Mar%202019.pdf. 99 100 - 63 -