European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Article 8 Education

With regard to Education , the Parties undertake, within the territory in which such languages are used, according to the situation of each of these languages, and without prejudice to the teaching of the official language(s) of the State:

to make available pre-school education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to make available a substantial part of pre-school education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to apply one of the measures provided for under i and ii above at least to those pupils whose families so request and whose number is considered sufficient; or
if the public authorities have no direct competence in the field of pre-school education, to favour and/or encourage the application of the measures referred to under i to iii above;

to make available primary education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to make available a substantial part of primary education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to provide, within primary education, for the teaching of the relevant regional or minority languages as an integral part of the curriculum; or
to apply one of the measures provided for under i to iii above at least to those pupils whose families so request and whose number is considered sufficient;

to make available secondary education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to make available a substantial part of secondary education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to provide, within secondary education, for the teaching of the relevant regional or minority languages as an integral part of the curriculum; or
to apply one of the measures provided for under i to iii above at least to those pupils who, or where appropriate whose families, so wish in a number considered sufficient;

to make available technical and vocational education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to make available a substantial part of technical and vocational education in the relevant regional or minority languages; or
to provide, within technical and vocational education, for the teaching of the relevant regional or minority languages as an integral part of the curriculum; or
to apply one of the measures provided for under i to iii above at least to those pupils who, or where appropriate whose families, so wish in a number considered sufficient;

to make available university and other higher education in regional or minority languages; or
to provide facilities for the study of these languages as university and higher education subjects; or
if, by reason of the role of the State in relation to higher education institutions, sub-paragraphs i and ii cannot be applied, to encourage and/or allow the provision of university or other forms of higher education in regional or minority languages or of facilities for the study of these languages as university or higher education subjects;

to arrange for the provision of adult and continuing education courses which are taught mainly or wholly in the regional or minority languages; or
to offer such languages as subjects of adult and continuing education; or
if the public authorities have no direct competence in the field of adult education, to favour and/or encourage the offering of such languages as subjects of adult and continuing education;
to make arrangements to ensure the teaching of the history and the culture which is reflected by the regional or minority language;
to provide the basic and further training of the teachers required to implement those of paragraphs a to g accepted by the Party;
to set up a supervisory body or bodies responsible for monitoring the measures taken and progress achieved in establishing or developing the teaching of regional or minority languages and for drawing up periodic reports of their findings, which will be made public.
With regard to education and in respect of territories other than those in which the regional or minority languages are traditionally used, the Parties undertake, if the number of users of a regional or minority language justifies it, to allow, encourage or provide teaching in or of the regional or minority language at all the appropriate stages of education.

Article 9 Judicial authorities

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:
in criminal proceedings:
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
to guarantee the accused the right to use his/her regional or minority language; and/or
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
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;

in civil proceedings:
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
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
to allow documents and evidence to be produced in the regional or minority languages,
if necessary by the use of interpreters and translations;

in proceedings before courts concerning administrative matters:
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
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
to allow documents and evidence to be produced in the regional or minority languages,
if necessary by the use of interpreters and translations;

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.
The Parties undertake:
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
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
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.
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.

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

Education, European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, country.