The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages held its 83rd plenary meeting on 18-20 November 2025 in Strasbourg.

During the meeting, the committee adopted its 8th evaluation report on the application of the Charter by Hungary, which will be transmitted to the authorities for possible comments within a deadline of two months after transmission. The evaluation report and the state comments will then be made public and submitted to the Committee of Ministers. 

The committee also adopted the mid-term reports on the implementation of its recommendations for immediate action by Denmark, Finland and Serbia, which will be published in the coming days and submitted to the Committee of Ministers for information.

On 19 November, the Committee of Experts elected the following members of its Bureau, who will take up their functions as of 1 January 2026 for a period of 2 years: 
Aleksandra Oszmianska-Pagett (Poland), Chair,
Albert Branchadell (Spain), First Vice-Chair,
Jürgen Pirker (Austria), Second Vice-Chair.

On 20 November, the Committee of Experts held and exchange of views with Hallvard Gorseth, Council of Europe’s Director of Equal Rights and Dignity.

During its 83rd plenary meeting, the Committee of Experts also discussed the latest developments in the field of minority language protection, including misinterpretations about the scope of application of the Charter. The Committee of Experts recalls that, in accordance with Article 1 of this treaty, « regional or minority languages » are languages «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 are different from the official language(s) of that State ». The definition reflects the diversity of language situations across Europe. It encompasses languages used on relatively large areas and by a substantial number of individuals as well as languages spoken by a low number of people in a small area or languages that are endangered. At the same time, a minority language in one state may be the majority or official language in another state. The Charter, through its provisions, puts forward appropriate solutions for the different situations of regional or minority languages.

The committee will hold its next plenary meeting in March 2026 in Strasbourg.