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Strasbourg, 11 March 1999 Strasbourg, April 2000 DH-MIN (99) 2 Synthesis of the replies to the questionnaire on participation of minorities in decision-making processes Table of Contents Member States: Questionnaire .................................................................................................................. ALBANIA ...................................................................................................................... AUSTRIA ....................................................................................................................... BULGARIA.................................................................................................................... CROATIA ........................................................................................................................................... CYPRUS......................................................................................................................... CZECH REPUBLIC ...................................................................................................... DENMARK ................................................................................................................... ESTONIA ...................................................................................................................... FINLAND ...................................................................................................................... FRANCE......................................................................................................................... GERMANY .................................................................................................................... HUNGARY .................................................................................................................... LATVIA ......................................................................................................................... LITHUANIA .................................................................................................................. LUXEMBOURG ............................................................................................................ MOLDOVA .................................................................................................................... NETHERLANDS .......................................................................................................... NORWAY ...................................................................................................................... POLAND ....................................................................................................................... PORTUGAL ................................................................................................................... ROMANIA .................................................................................................................... RUSSIAN FEDERATION ............................................................................................ SAN MARINO ............................................................................................................... SLOVAK REPUBLIC ................................................................................................... SLOVENIA..................................................................................................................... SWEDEN ....................................................................................................................... SWITZERLAND ........................................................................................................... « the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia » ......................................................... UKRAINE....................................................................................................................... UNITED KINGDOM .................................................................................................... Non-member States: ARMENIA...................................................................................................................... AZERBAIJAN................................................................................................................ 2 QUESTIONNAIRE ON FORMS OF PARTICIPATION OF MINORITIES IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES I. Representation in political parties 1) Please list the policital parties that specifically represent a minority; 2) Please list parties that especially represent minorities’ interests but which are not minority parties as such; II. Parliamentary representation 3) Are there reserved seats in Parliament for minorities (if necessary make the distinction between the Lower Chamber and the Upper Chamber and indicate the number of seats available in each chamber)? 4) Did any of the political parties mentioned under questions 1 and 2 gain any seats at the last parliamentary elections? (please indicate the dates of the latest elections for each chamber)? 5) Please indicate whether persons belonging to minorities have been elected during the last elections on the list of other parties, and if so, please give details; 6) Please indicate whether there are any special provisions for minority parties regarding election thresholds; 7) Please indicate whether there are any parliamentary committees and/or sub- committees dealing with minority issues; III. Ombudspersons for minority and/or human rights or parliamentary committee for petitions 8) Do such bodies exist in your country? If so, what are the official titles? 9) Please indicate the legal basis on which they were created; 10) If there is an ombudsperson, please indicate how he/she is elected/nominated; 11) If there is an ombudsperson, please indiate his/her main functions and mandate; IV. Minister/ministry for national minorities 12) Is there a minister or ministry specifically responsible for national minorities issues? 13) If not, are there ministries which deal with minority issues in their own fields of activity? If so, which one(s)? V. Governmental Office for minorities 14) Does such an office exist in your country? If so, please indicate its exact name; 15) Please indicate the legal basis on which it has been established (Decree, etc.); 16) Please list its main functions; 17) Please indicate in a few lines how it works; 18) Please indicate the links with other institutions, such as government, parliament, councils/round tables for minorities (as under VI), self-governments etc. (as under VII) NGOs and civil society; 19) Please indicate the minorities involved in or covered by this Office; 20) Please indicate the name of the contact person for this Governmental Office; 3 VI. Councils or round-tables with representatives of minorities 21) Do such bodies exist in your country? If so, please indicate their exact name and level of application (state, regional or local); 22) Please indicate the legal basis on which they have been established; 23) Please list their main functions; 24) Please indicate in a few lines how they work; 25) Please indicate the links with other institutions, such as government, parliament, governmental office for minorities (as under V), self-governments, etc. (as under VII), NGOs and civil; 26) Please indicate the minorities involved in this Council/Round Table; 27) Please indicate the name of the contact person for this Council/Round Table; VII. Self-governments and forms of territorial or cultural autonomy, including those at regional and local level 28) Please indicate which forms exist in your country; 29) Please specify the legal basis on which they have been established; 30) If there are self-governments, please indicate their numbers and the minorities concerned; 31) Please indicate the main functions of these bodies; 32) Please indicate in a few lines how they work; 33) Please indicate the links with other institutions, such as government, parliament, governmental office for minorities (as under V), councils/rounds tables for minorities (as under VI), NGOs and civil; VIII. Public institutions or organisations 34) Please indicate public institutions that play a significant role in the field of the protection of minorities ; IX. Civil society: minority associations and NGOs 35) Please indicate registered minority associations and give relevant information; 36) Please indicate national NGOs or local branches of international NGOs dealing with minority issues; X. Legal texts 37) Please indicate any legal texts (or articles of these texts) referring to the participation of minorities in decision-making processes that have not been mentioned previously. XI. Please make any additional observations that you might wish to include 4 ALBANIA I. Representation in political parties 1. Parties that specifically In Albania political parties that specifically represent minorities do not exist. represent a minority According to Article 6, paragraph 5 of the Law no. 7502 (July 25, 1991) on political parties, the creation of a political party on a religious, ethnic or regional basis is not allowed. In Article 9 of the new draft Constitution, a special provision about political parties makes no prohibitive or affirmative reference as concerns the creation of parties on an ethnic basis, i.e. does not forbid but does not allow either such a creation explicitly. 2. Parties that especially The only political party representing minorities’ interests is “The Union for represent minorities’ interests Human Rights Party”. but which are not minority parties as such II. Parliamentary
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