 Regional and minority languages in Europe are
diverse and heterogeneous: the numbers of speakers of these
traditionally spoken languages range from a few hundred to several
million, some are co-official, others are only spoken at home. All
these languages nevertheless have one factor in common: Compared
with dominant languages, they are all to some extent in a vulnerable
position, and some are even threatened by extinction – a trend that
can only be reversed if states take resolute action.
This is where the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages comes into play. This unique Council of Europe treaty is
designed to accommodate the variety of different language situations
in Europe and therefore to guarantee optimal protection at the right
level and address the needs of the speakers.
As conceived by the Charter, the role of our independent Committee
of Experts, composed mainly of lawyers and linguists, is to monitor
the application of the Charter in each individual contracting state
in regular cycles and examine how the state is complying with its
obligations selected under the Charter. By doing so, the Committee
enters into a constructive three-way dialogue with the state and the
speakers to ensure that effective results are achieved in terms of
language protection and promotion. The Charter requires that
domestic legislation, language policies and practices are adopted
and put in line with the concrete undertakings chosen by the state,
but also with the spirit of the Charter for the benefit of regional
or minority languages, and the Committee oversees this process.
Today our Committee can look back over ten years of valuable
monitoring experience. It has set European-wide standards in terms
of minority language policy based on the Charter and in synergy with
other relevant Council of Europe bodies. We see that the Charter has
made a particular contribution to the development of regional or
minority languages, as part of our European cultural heritage, and
we aim to keep it that way in future.
Stefan Oeter, Chair of the Committee of Experts of the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
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