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Council of Europe publishes report on minority languages in Austria

Strasbourg, 11/03/2009: The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers has made public the second report on the situation of minority languages in Austria. This report has been drawn up by a committee of independent experts which monitors the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
On the basis of the report, the Committee of Ministers calls on Austria to adopt a structured policy for the protection and promotion of all languages protected under the Charter, especially in Vienna, and create favourable conditions for their use in public life.
Furthermore, the increasing demand for regional or minority language education in Austria needs to be met with an adequate offer for both speakers and non-speakers of the languages.

Austria should also ensure that Burgenland-Croatian, Slovenian and Hungarian languages can be used before the relevant judicial and administrative authorities in practice. In this context, the ruling of the Constitutional Court relating to the use of the Slovenian language before administrative authorities in Carinthia is to be implemented without delay.

Finally, the Committee of Ministers recommends the increase of television broadcasting in Hungarian and to secure adequate funding for newspapers in Burgenland-Croatian, Slovenian and Hungarian.

The regional or minority languages protected under the Charter in Austria are Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Hungarian and Romani.
Full text of the report and the Committee of Ministers’ recommendations
Further information can also be found on the Charter's website, or by contacting the Charter Secretariat (minlang.secretariat@coe.int – Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 31 86).