Authors

Natalija Shikova¹;  ¹ International Balkan University (IBU), North Macedonia

Discussion

Non-territorial autonomy (NTA) incorporates a mixture of different arrangements such as consociationalism and national-cultural autonomy (NCA) and forms of representation for minorities. It is considered to be a statecraft tool or policy instrument applied in the ethnic – culturally diverse states. The literature about NTA does not point toward many common features of all applied NTAs, but thoughtful analysis of the seminal works clarifies that NTA can be used for the representation of the non-dominant groups. NTA can enhance the group's ability to self-governance over the matters that are relevant for the group members residing on the "personality principle". Contextual information of NTA arrangements is related to the description of the institutions, their functionality, and the legal frame that is protecting them (i.e., according to the scholars the personal cultural autonomy does not exist without self – regulating institutions). The national-cultural autonomy is understood as a form of autonomy where’s the non-majority population can establish a representative body without a territorial limitation and can carry out cultural or other activities relevant for minority groups either on a national or on a local level. The presentation will focus on NTA related theory and practices, as well as on results related to its applicability gained through the work on European Non – Territorial Autonomy Network – ENTAN.