By Risto Karajkov由risto karajkov

With its expansion ever since the end of the cold war, the European Union has been increasingly projecting itself as a moral force in global affairs.与它的扩大，自冷战结束后，欧洲联盟已日益预测本身作为一个道德力量，在全球事务中。 It has called itself a community of values and has been tirelessly repeating to would-be members that full embrace of democracy and human and minority rights is the only way into the club.它呼吁本身就是一个社会的价值观，并一直坚持不懈地重复，以将要各位委员充分的怀抱，民主和人权和少数民族权利是唯一的出路进入俱乐部。

No one has learned this refrain better than eager candidates from the Western Balkans.没有人了解，这总比不急于候选人从西巴尔干地区。 There, the idea of joining the European Union has been put on a pedestal.在那里，构思加入欧洲联盟已提上一台阶。 Europe symbolizes everything that is good, as opposed to the wicked backwardness of Balkan imperfection.欧洲象征的一切是好的，作为反对恶人落后的巴尔干美中不足。 Countries there need to constantly strive to democratize and reform in hope that they can one day join.国家有需要不断努力的民主化和改革，希望他们能一天加入。

As much as this idea is unreservedly accepted, it appears that it is not fully corroborated by facts on the ground.高达这种想法是毫无保留地接受，看来，这是没有充分证实了的事实。 Some of the countries in the (geographic) Balkans that seem to have very serious issues with respect of minority rights are in fact European Union member states.一些国家的（地理）巴尔干地区似乎有非常严重的问题与尊重少数人权利的，其实是在欧洲联盟会员国。

Both Greece and Bulgaria adamantly refuse to recognize their Macedonian minority.双方希腊和保加利亚坚决拒绝承认他们的马其顿少数群体。 Both countries have lost cases before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.这两个国家失去了案件之前，欧洲人权法庭在斯特拉斯堡。 They continue to stubbornly refuse to comply with the court’s decisions to allow the registration of the political parties of their Macedonian minorities.他们继续顽固地拒绝遵守法院的决定，允许登记的政党，他们的马其顿少数民族。 At the same time they do not have a problem using their leverage as members of the European Union to impose unprincipled conditions on Macedonia.在同一时间，他们不有一个问题，利用其杠杆作用，作为欧洲联盟成员国施加无原则的条件对马其顿。 Greece has already made a name for itself doing just that.希腊已经取得了一个名称为自己所做的，只是。 Bulgaria shows signs it might take the same road.保加利亚有迹象显示它可能采取同样的道路。

Last month Greece vetoed Macedonia’s entry into NATO over the name dispute.上个月否决了希腊马其顿加入北约以上的名称的争议。 Athens opposes the use of the name “Macedonia” by Skopje, as Greece claims it is exclusive part of its cultural heritage.雅典反对使用名称“马其顿”斯科普里，作为希腊的索赔，这是独家的一部分，其文化遗产。 Greece threatened it would also block Macedonia in the European Union unless a solution to the name dispute is found that is to its liking.希腊的威胁，它也阻止马其顿在欧洲联盟，除非解决名称争议的是，发现是其喜好。 Greece’s move pushed Macedonia into political crisis.希腊的举动推到马其顿的政治危机。 The government called early elections.政府呼吁提前举行大选。

Europe has been continuously labeling Turkey (non-European Union state) as a rogue with regards to human rights standards, but (the few) Armenians in Turkey have their churches and schools.欧洲一直不断贴标土耳其（非欧洲联盟国家）作为一个无赖就人权标准，但（少数） ，亚美尼亚人在土耳其有他们的教堂和学校。 Greece’s denial goes so far that it does not even allow the free self-determination of the Macedonian minority, let alone start to discuss standards in education, use of mother tongue, or political participation.希腊的否认，云迄今为止，它甚至不容许自由的自决权，马其顿少数，更遑论开始讨论标准，在教育方面，使用的母语，或参与政治。 Last month the European Free Alliance, a European political party, staged an event in the European Parliament to protest this discrimination in Greece and called the Macedonian minority there one of the “last unrecognized minorities in Europe.”在上个月的欧洲自由联盟，欧洲的政党，上演一事件在欧洲议会，以抗议这种歧视在希腊和马其顿所谓的少数民族之一，有“最后无法辨识的少数民族在欧洲” 。

In Albania (non-European Union state), often described as the most backward country in Europe, the small Macedonian minority freely votes their own and has a mayor in the region of Mala Prespa.在阿尔巴尼亚（非欧洲联盟国家） ，经常被描述为最落后的国家，在欧洲，小马其顿少数人的自由票自己有一个市长在该地区的马拉普雷斯帕。 In Bulgaria, a novel member of the European community of values, around a hundred members of the unrecognized political party of the Macedonian minority OMO Ilinden Pirin were called by the police for “talks” last week, because they engaged in organizing a small historic commemoration.在保加利亚，一种新型的成员之一，欧洲社会的价值观，周围100成员对无法辨识的政党，马其顿少数民族奥妙ilinden皮林，被称为是由警方为“会谈”上周，因为他们从事在组织一个小型的历史性的纪念。 A classical tactic of police intimidation.一个古典的手法，警方恐吓。

Trying to play an honest broker and stabilize the Balkans, the United States pushed hard to get Macedonia into NATO but could not fight the Greek veto.试图扮演一个诚实的中间人和稳定巴尔干，美国推难求马其顿加入北约，但未能扑灭，希腊否决权。 In the process even Washington got entangled in the primitive Balkan nationalisms that simply refuse to accept that people are free to declare as they wish.在这个过程中，甚至华盛顿得到纠缠于原始巴尔干民族主义根本拒绝接受，人是自由申报，因为他们的愿望。

State Department official Daniel Fried during his recent visit to Athens had to argue with the Greeks over this purportedly basic human entitlement.美国国务院官员丹尼尔弗里德在他最近访问雅典曾辩称与希腊人在这个据称是人类的基本权利。 His counterparts reportedly told him there was no such thing as Macedonians.据报道，他的同行告诉他，有没有这样的事，作为马其顿。 His answer, rephrased, involved something like “Oh, but I was there last week.他的答案，改写，所涉及的一些想“哦，但我是有上周。 I saw them.”我看到他们“ 。

State Department spokespeople get into semantic discussions on a regular basis with a legendary Greek journalist at press briefings over whether there is a Macedonian identity, nation, or language.美国国务院发言人进入语义的讨论，定期的基础上与传奇的希腊记者在新闻发布会是否有一个马其顿的身份，一个民族，一个或语言。

For Greeks, Macedonians are “Slavs” who are stealing Greece’s history by calling themselves Macedonians.为希腊人，马其顿人是“斯拉夫人”谁是窃取希腊的历史是由自称为马其顿人。 For the Bulgarians, they are Bulgarian kin who have been brainwashed during Tito’s Yugoslavia, and think they are Macedonian, but are actually Bulgarian.为保加利亚人，他们是谁保健已洗脑期间，铁托的南斯拉夫，并认为他们是马其顿语，但实际上却是保加利亚。

The European Union has been way too condoning of Greek discriminatory demands pointed against Macedonia.欧洲联盟一直方式过于纵容的希腊歧视性的要求，指出对马其顿。 Back in 1992 it adopted an infamous Lisbon document that said the new country could not use the name “Macedonia” and it postponed its recognition.早在1992年通过了一项臭名昭著的里斯本文件说，新的国家不能使用的名称“马其顿” ，并推迟其的承认。 It softened over time in view of reality.它软化，随着时间的推移，鉴于现实的。 Macedonia was recognized by the United Nations in 1993, under the provisional name of “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (FYROM).马其顿是为联合国所承认的在1993年，根据临时名称“前南斯拉夫的马其顿共和国” （前南斯拉夫的马其顿共和国） 。 Over the years the European Union has not showed a sign of willingness to deal constructively with the issue.多年来，欧洲联盟并没有表现出的迹象，愿意建设性地处理这个问题。 Only last week one of its committees had to change in a document all reference to “Macedonian language” or “Macedonian culture” to “the language of FYROM” and so forth, in face of Greek pressure.仅在上周之一，其属下的委员会不得不改变的一份文件中所有提到的“马其顿语”或“马文化”到“语文前南斯拉夫的马其顿共和国”等等，在面对希腊的压力。

The bottom line is that one should be free to declare as she or he feels.底线是一应可自由申报，因为她或他的感觉。 That is the substance of the right to free expression of identity.这是实质的权利，自由表达意见的身份。 Restrictions to this end, whatever the pretext or ideology, are limitations of freedom and serious infringement of democratic standards.的限制，为此，无论为借口，或意识形态，是限制自由的严重侵犯和对民主的标准。 If on top of that the people subject to such restrictions are made to fear to speak their language in public, or have no schools for their kids in their mother tongue, or even fear persecution, for them the society they live in is not democratic.如果对最重要的是人民群众受到这样的限制是为了恐惧发言，他们的语言在公共，或有没有学校，为他们的孩子在他们的母语，或什至害怕受到迫害，为他们的社会，他们生活在没有民主。

One must be free to declare as he or she wants.一，必须免费申报作为他或她要。 The same way the European Union promotes democracy abroad, it needs to do it in its own yard.同样的方式，欧洲联盟在国外促进民主，它需要做的，它在自己的码。 If judicial action is not enough and it obviously isn’t, Brussels must take more-decisive political action and demand that its members recognize minorities.如果司法行动是不够的，它显然不是，布鲁塞尔必须采取更果断的政治行动，并要求其成员承认少数。

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