The conference volume should raise the awareness for the promotion of national minorities among agents, institutions as well as to an interested public. It sheds light on state policies regarding national minorities with a multilateral, multidisciplinary and comparative approach. The articles will examine the consequences of minority policies on the application of European legal standards, the political circumstances of the minorities, how the minorities organize themselves, as well as their relationship to the titular nation, and the actual current social situation. The volume should stimulate directly and indirectly an international comparison of national policies regarding minorities and their local impact. It intends to deal with this complex topic in a differentiated manner, incorporating different perspectives.