"If we fail to appropriately frame and address this issue, new problems by new minorities will pile up," said Rudi Pavšič, the chair of the Slovenian Minority Coordination, a body bringing together the Slovenian diaspora in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.

He told the STA the visit was designed to get MEPs from Slovenia and other countries to start encouraging their peers to launch a systemic debate about minorities, an issue Pavšič said the EU parliament was reluctant to discuss.

The Slomak representatives met several MEPs from Slovenia, Italy and Austria, including Slovenian representatives Patricija Šulin (EPP/SDS), Ivo Vajgl (ALDE/DeSUS) and Tanja Fajon (S&D/SD).

Šulin said the European Parliament did not have the power to tackle minority issues, which are in the purview of member states that are home to minorities. "These countries should talk more to each other."

The Slomak delegation will visit the Council of Europe on Tuesday.