Slovakije: enkel Slovaaks bij overheidsdiensten, scholen en ziekenhuizen

[Sammael]

Dit is iets waar wij Belgen mee vertrouwd zijn, denk ik zo:

Only Slovak can now be used in public offices, and in institutions like schools and hospitals.

Slovakia says the move is in accord with European standards, but protestors argue it breaks international laws.

The Hungarian government says it has turned to international human rights organisations for help.

Volledig artikel.

Ter informatie:

Slovakije heeft de Kaderovereenkomst voor de bescherming van nationale minderheden (Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.) getekend en geratificeerd, zonder voorbehoud te formuleren.

Deze overeenkomst zelf bevat geen definitie van het begrip "nationale minderheid", doch we vinden zulk een definitie wel terug in resolutie 1201 :

“For the purposes of this Convention, the expression ‘‘national minority'' refers to a group of persons in a state who:
a. reside on the territory of that state and are citizens thereof;
b. maintain longstanding, firm and lasting ties with that state;
c. display distinctive ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics;
d. are sufficiently representative, although smaller in number than the rest of the population of that state or of a region of that state;
e. are motivated by a concern to preserve together that which constitutes their common identity, including their culture, their traditions, their religion or their language.”

De Hongaren zijn dus wel degelijk een minderheid die beschermd wordt door deze Conventie.

Artikel 10, paragraaf 2 & 3 van de conventie lijkt mij op het eerste zicht onverenigbaar met deze wet:

2. In areas inhabited by persons belonging to national minorities traditionally or in substantial numbers, if those persons so request and where such a request corresponds to a real need, the Parties shall endeavour to ensure, as far as possible, the conditions which would make it possible to use the minority language in relations between those persons and the administrative authorities.
3. The Parties undertake to guarantee the right of every person belonging to a national minority to be informed promptly, in a language which he or she understands, of the reasons for his or her arrest, and of the nature and cause of any accusation against him or her, and to defend himself or herself in this language, if necessary with the free assistance of an interpreter.

Slovakije ondertekende en ratificeerde eveneens het European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (in tegenstelling tot België dat het ondertekende noch ratificeerde).

Definitie van minderheidstalen vinden we terug in gezegd Charter:

Article 1 – Definitions
For the purposes of this Charter:
a “regional or minority languages” means languages that are:
i traditionally used within a given territory of a State by nationals of that State who form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the State's population; and
ii different from the official language(s) of that State; it does not include either dialects of the official language(s) of the State or the languages of migrants;

De wet waarvan sprake in het BBC artikel lijkt mij op het eerste zicht strijdig te zijn met volgende artikelen uit het Charter:

Article 9 – Judicial authorities
1 The Parties undertake, in respect of those judicial districts in which the number of residents using the regional or minority languages justifies the measures specified below, according to the situation of each of these languages and on condition that the use of the facilities afforded by the present paragraph is not considered by the judge to hamper the proper administration of justice:

a in criminal proceedings:
i to provide that the courts, at the request of one of the parties, shall conduct the
proceedings in the regional or minority languages; and/or
ii to guarantee the accused the right to use his/her regional or minority language; and/or
iii to provide that requests and evidence, whether written or oral, shall not be considered inadmissible solely because they are formulated in a regional or minority language; and/or
iv to produce, on request, documents connected with legal proceedings in the relevant regional or minority language, if necessary by the use of interpreters and translations involving no extra expense for the persons concerned;

b in civil proceedings:
i to provide that the courts, at the request of one of the parties, shall conduct the proceedings in the regional or minority languages; and/or
ii to allow, whenever a litigant has to appear in person before a court, that he or she may use his or her regional or minority language without thereby incurring additional expense; and/or
iii to allow documents and evidence to be produced in the regional or minority languages, if necessary by the use of interpreters and translations;

c in proceedings before courts concerning administrative matters:
i to provide that the courts, at the request of one of the parties, shall conduct the proceedings in the regional or minority languages; and/or
ii to allow, whenever a litigant has to appear in person before a court, that he or she may use his or her regional or minority language without thereby incurring additional expense; and/or
iii to allow documents and evidence to be produced in the regional or minority languages, if necessary by the use of interpreters and translations;

d to take steps to ensure that the application of sub-paragraphs i and iii of paragraphs b and c
above and any necessary use of interpreters and translations does not involve extra expense for
the persons concerned.

2 The Parties undertake:

a not to deny the validity of legal documents drawn up within the State solely because they
are drafted in a regional or minority language; or

b not to deny the validity, as between the parties, of legal documents drawn up within the country solely because they are drafted in a regional or minority language, and to provide that they can be invoked against interested third parties who are not users of these languages on condition that the contents of the document are made known to them by the person(s) who invoke(s) it; or

c not to deny the validity, as between the parties, of legal documents drawn up within the country solely because they are drafted in a regional or minority language.

3 The Parties undertake to make available in the regional or minority languages the most important national statutory texts and those relating particularly to users of these languages,
unless they are otherwise provided.

Article 10 – Administrative authorities and public services
1 Within the administrative districts of the State in which the number of residents who are users of regional or minority languages justifies the measures specified below and according to the situation of each language, the Parties undertake, as far as this is reasonably possible:

a
i to ensure that the administrative authorities use the regional or minority languages; or
ii to ensure that such of their officers as are in contact with the public use the regional or minority languages in their relations with persons applying to them in these languages; or
iii to ensure that users of regional or minority languages may submit oral or written applications and receive a reply in these languages; or
iv to ensure that users of regional or minority languages may submit oral or written applications in these languages; or
v to ensure that users of regional or minority languages may validly submit a document in these languages;

b to make available widely used administrative texts and forms for the population in the regional or minority languages or in bilingual versions;

c to allow the administrative authorities to draft documents in a regional or minority language.

2 In respect of the local and regional authorities on whose territory the number of residents who are users of regional or minority languages is such as to justify the measures specified below, the Parties undertake to allow and/or encourage:

a the use of regional or minority languages within the framework of the regional or local authority;

b the possibility for users of regional or minority languages to submit oral or written applications in these languages;

c the publication by regional authorities of their official documents also in the relevant regional or minority languages;

d the publication by local authorities of their official documents also in the relevant regional or minority languages;

e the use by regional authorities of regional or minority languages in debates in their assemblies, without excluding, however, the use of the official language(s) of the State;

f the use by local authorities of regional or minority languages in debates in their assemblies, without excluding, however, the use of the official language(s) of the State;

g the use or adoption, if necessary in conjunction with the name in the official language(s), of traditional and correct forms of place-names in regional or minority languages.

3 With regard to public services provided by the administrative authorities or other persons acting on their behalf, the Parties undertake, within the territory in which regional or minority languages are used, in accordance with the situation of each language and as far as this is reasonably possible:

a to ensure that the regional or minority languages are used in the provision of the service; or

b to allow users of regional or minority languages to submit a request and receive a reply in these languages; or

c to allow users of regional or minority languages to submit a request in these languages.

4 With a view to putting into effect those provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 accepted by them, the Parties undertake to take one or more of the following measures:

a translation or interpretation as may be required;

b recruitment and, where necessary, training of the officials and other public service employees required;

c compliance as far as possible with requests from public service employees having a knowledge of a regional or minority language to be appointed in the territory in which that language is used.

5 The Parties undertake to allow the use or adoption of family names in the regional or minority languages, at the request of those concerned.

[Heel-Nederlander]

Schandalig. Slowakije heeft een Hongaarse minderheid van 11% die ook nog eens redelijk geconcentreerd in het zuiden van het land woont. Een staat die lid is van de EU moet en kan dit niet doen ... het is gewoon schandalig.

[Flanelcondoom]

Estland had gelijkaardige kak uitgehaald met de Russen die daar wonen.

Om over Oekraine en die vroegtijdig tot mens geevolueerde trilobieten en hun taalpolitiek te zwijgen.