International actors such as UNESCO and the EU are key to protecting the status of Italy’s Greek speaking minority

The protection of minority groups and languages is a key issue in several countries across Europe. Stavroula Pipyrou assesses the status of the Grecanici: the Greek speaking minority located in the region of Calabria in Italy. She writes that minority policies were largely ignored under the governments of Silvio Berlusconi and Mario Monti, resulting in members of the Grecanici increasingly turning to international actors such as UNESCO and the EU to strengthen their rights.