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The Fourth Periodic Report of Finland on the Application of the European Charter for Regional Or Minority Languages

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The Fourth Periodic Report of Finland on the Application of the European Charter for Regional Or Minority Languages THE FOURTH PERIODIC REPORT OF FINLAND ON THE APPLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES SEPTEMBER 2010 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 1 GENERAL PART ................................................................................................................................................... 3 1. BASIC INFORMATION ON FINLAND ................................................................................................................................. 3 Population, religion and languages ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Special status of the Åland Islands ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2. REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES IN FINLAND ........................................................................................................ 4 Swedish .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Sámi ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3. NUMBERS OF PERSONS SPEAKING REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES IN FINLAND .................................................. 5 Swedish-speaking Finns ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Sámi ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The definition of persons speaking a regional or minority language ..................................................................................... 5 4. NUMBERS OF NON-TERRITORIAL LANGUAGES AND OF PERSONS USING THEM IN FINLAND .......................................... 6 Roma language ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Russian ................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Tatar ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Yiddish .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Karelian .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Sign languages ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8 5. GOVERNMENT STATEMENTS AND REPORTS ................................................................................................................... 8 PART I .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 I.1 NATIONAL LEGISLATION IMPLEMENTING THE CHARTER ................................................................................................ 9 Constitution ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Language Act .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Sámi Language Act ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Non-discrimination Act ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Act on the Ombudsman for Minorities and the National Discrimination Tribunal of Finland ............................................. 11 Decree on the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO)................................................................................................. 11 Act on the Ombudsman for Children ................................................................................................................................... 12 I.2 BODIES AND ORGANISATIONS FURTHERING THE PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 RESEARCH CENTRE FOR THE LANGUAGES OF FINLAND ...................................................................................................... 12 FiBLUL FINNISH BUREAU FOR LESSER USED LANGUAGES ................................................................................................... 13 SWEDISH ASSEMBLY IN FINLAND ......................................................................................................................................... 13 SWEDISH CULTURAL FOUNDATION IN FINLAND ................................................................................................................. 13 SÁMI PARLIAMENT ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 ADVISORY BOARD ON ROMANI AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................................. 14 FINNISH ASSOCIATION OF RUSSIAN-SPEAKING ORGANISATIONS ....................................................................................... 14 FINNISH ISLAMIC CONGREGATION ...................................................................................................................................... 14 JEWISH CONGREGATION IN HELSINKI .................................................................................................................................. 14 KARELIAN LANGUAGE SOCIETY ............................................................................................................................................ 14 I.3 BODIES AND ORGANISATIONS CONSULTED ON THE PREPARATION OF THE REPORT ................................................... 15 I.4 PROVISION OF INFORMATION ON RIGHTS AND DUTIES DERIVING FROM THE APPLICATION OF THE CHARTER ........... 15 i I.5 IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................... 16 I.6 PROVISION OF INFORMATION ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS ............................. 17 I.7 CONTRIBUTION TO IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................. 17 PART II .................................................................................................................................................................18 ARTICLE 7: OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES .......................................................................................................................... 18 1a) Recognition of the regional or minority languages as an expression of cultural wealth ............................................... 19 1b) Administrative divisions ................................................................................................................................................. 19 1c) Action to promote regional or minority languages in order to safeguard them ........................................................... 20 Language Act ................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Sámi Language Act and Sámi language ........................................................................................................................... 21 Roma ............................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Karelian ........................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Russian ............................................................................................................................................................................ 23 Yiddish ............................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Sign language .................................................................................................................................................................
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