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Council of Europe publishes report on minority languages in the Netherlands

Strasbourg, 25 October 2012. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers has today made public the fourth report on the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in the Netherlands.
The report has been drawn up by a committee of independent experts, which monitors the application of the Charter.
The Committee of Experts acknowledges improvements made in education in Frisian and of Limburgish. The Dutch authorities should however continue to strengthen the teaching of and in Frisian at all levels of education. The teaching of Limburgish and Low Saxon should be upgraded to the status of regular school subjects and the offer of education in these languages should be extended, including in pre-schools.

The Council of Europe further encourages the Dutch authorities to explore, in co-operation with representatives of the speakers, possibilities to teach Romanes and to secure and extend the teaching of Yiddish.
The Charter entered into force in the Netherlands in 1998.
Link to the report

More information on: www.coe.int/minlang
Council of Europe
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France

Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 44 66
Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 88
E-mail: minlang.secretariat@coe.int