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Third Periodical Report on the Implementation of The Strasbourg, 4 October 2019 MIN-LANG (2019) PR 8 EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES Third periodical report presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter POLAND 3rd REPORT TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION BY THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES Warsaw, September 2019 1 Table of contents General remarks ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 8 PART I: General ...................................................................................................................................... 10 1. The number of people using minority languages and the regional language on the basis of the National Census of Population and Housing 2011. ........................................................................... 10 Re 1. Recommendation for the Polish authorities to intensify their efforts with regard to spreading awareness and tolerance across Poland with regard to regional or minority languages, as well as cultures that they represent. .............................................................................................................. 12 Re 2. Recommendation for the Polish authorities to enable education in Belarusian, German, Kashubian, Lemko and Ukrainian as languages of instruction in preschools, primary and secondary schools ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Re 3. The recommendation that the Polish authorities provide updated textbooks and other educational materials for teaching in a regional or minority language in accordance with the new core curriculum and enable basic and advanced training for a sufficient number of teachers able to teach in Belarusian, German, Kashubian, Lemko and Ukrainian ........................................................ 15 Re 4. (Recommendation that the Polish authorities take measures to support and offer broadcasts in all regional or minority languages) ................................................................................................. 18 Re 5. (Recommendation that the Polish authorities reconsider the issue of 20% threshold enabling to submit applications with regard to the obligations under Article 10 and create a legal possibility of submitting written and oral applications in a regional or minority language, including at poviat and voivodship level). ......................................................................................................................... 19 Re 6. Recommendation that the Polish authorities establish a structured policy in close cooperation with the stakeholder group and take measures to facilitate the application of the Charter with regard to Armenian, Czech, Karaim, Roma, Russian, Slovak, Tatar and Yiddish languages. .............. 20 Information concerning the measures taken by the Polish government aimed at implementing the recommendations made by the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ........................................................................................................................... 21 PART II: INFORMATION ON THE POLISH GOVERNMENT’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS FOR THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES WITH REGARD TO ARTICLE 7 OF THE CHARTER ...................... 23 Article 7. In respect of regional or minority languages, within the territories in which such languages are used and according to the situation of each language, the Parties shall base their policies, legislation and practice on the following objectives and principles: .................................................. 23 c) the need for resolute action to promote regional or minority languages in order to safeguard them; ................................................................................................................................................... 23 (f) the provision of appropriate forms and means for the teaching and study of regional or minority languages at all appropriate stages; ................................................................................................... 24 (g) the provision of facilities enabling non-speakers of a regional or minority language living in the area where it is used to learn it if they so desire; ............................................................................. 26 3. The Parties undertake to promote, by appropriate measures, mutual understanding between all the linguistic groups of the country and in particular the inclusion of respect, understanding and 2 tolerance in relation to regional or minority languages among the objectives of education and training provided within their countries and encouragement of the mass media to pursue the same objective. ........................................................................................................................................... 26 PART III: INFORMATION ON THE POLISH GOVERNMENT’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS FOR THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES WITH REGARD TO ARTICLE 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 OF THE CHARTER ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Article 8 Education ................................................................................................................................ 28 1. 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 (...). ....................................................................................... 28 (a) (i) provide access to preschool education in relevant regional or minority languages ................ 30 (b) (i) provide access to primary education in relevant regional or minority languages ................... 34 (c) (i) provide access to secondary education in relevant regional or minority languages ................ 37 d) (iii) include teaching relevant regional or minority languages as an integral part of the curriculum within technical and professional education, ..................................................................................... 41 (e) (ii) make it possible to study these languages as subjects in education at the university and higher level ......................................................................................................................................... 44 (g) to make arrangements to ensure the teaching of the history and the culture which is reflected by the regional or minority language ................................................................................................. 46 (i) 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. .................................. 49 Article 8(2) 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. ........................................ 49 Article 10 Administrative authorities and public services ................................................................... 50 2. In respect of the local and regional authorities on whose territory the number of residents who are users of regional or minority languages is such as to justify the measures specified below, the Parties undertake to allow and/or encourage: ................................................................................. 50 (b) the possibility for users of regional or minority languages to submit oral or written applications in these languages. ............................................................................................................................. 50 (g) the use or adoption, if necessary in conjunction with the name in the official language(s), of traditional and correct forms of place-names in regional or minority languages. ............................. 54 5. The Parties undertake to allow the use or adoption of family names in the regional or minority languages, at the request of those concerned. ................................................................................. 60 Article 11 Media .................................................................................................................................. 60 1. The Parties undertake, for the users of the regional or minority languages within the territories in which those languages are spoken, according to the situation of each language, to the extent that the public authorities, directly or indirectly,
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