European Yearbook of Minority Issues Vol 11, 2012, ISBN 978-90-04-28329-9. pp. 263-287. Copyright 2014 Koninklijke Brill NV. Zora Popova and Marianne Zeh* Te European Union and Minorities in 2012 Although minority rights are not central to internal European Union (EU) politi- cal debates, 2012 marked signifcant progress both with regard to the internal and the external dimensions of majority–minority relations within the Union and beyond. A sign that the EU is shifting towards a more coherent and coor- dinated Roma policy was the call to Member States to develop and submit their National Strategies for Roma Integration (NRIS). At the level of external EU policy making, positive developments can be identifed not only in the feld of the political rhetoric and programming but also in the launching of action-oriented instruments. Te introduction of the EU human rights ‘package’, as a key element of EU external action, and direct references to minority rights in the respective policy and program documents, are changes with the potential to make a wider positive impact on minority rights protection. Although the establishment of the position of EU Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR), assigned to contribute to the achievement of better cohesion between the internal and the external EU policies, is surely the key element of positive developments during the reported period, continuous institutional cooperation between EU and major international players should also to be taken into account. By examining the progress signposts of 2012, this article will not only report on the major EU institutional developments in minority rights implementation and protection, but will also outline positive changes and raise awareness of per- sistent challenges that require ongoing monitoring, as well as emerging or shift- ing trends in EU policies and programmes. For that purpose, it focuses mainly on markers of progress and not necessarily on every event or initiative addressing * Dr. Zora Popova is a Senior Research Associate and Head of Cluster Culture and Diversity at ECMI. Prior to joining ECMI she has been a policy analyst at the Unit for Strategic Analyses, Prognoses and Actions to the Administration of the Bulgar- ian President. Marianne Zeh worked with the Citizenship and Ethics Cluster at ECMI during an internship in 2013 where she focused on the situation of Sinti and Roma in Germany.