Abstract
This article discusses definitional aspects of the concept of minority. In order to determine who the beneficiaries of special measures of protection might be, a definition of ‘minority’ is needed. As ‘minority’ derives from the idea of “smaller number”, it is helpful to understand also of how many people a minority consists in order to propose and implement targeted and affirmative measures for its protection. The wording of Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is valid under international law, seems too general for the practical implementation of affirmative measures, at least in the European context. For this reason, a narrower definition of minority is advanced here for the purposes of an European policy, starting from the proposals of Capotorti and Duchênes, and stressing the importance of autochthony