Fourth Report Submitted by Slovenia Pursuant to Article 25, Paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
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ACFC/SR/IV(2017)001 Fourth Report submitted by Slovenia pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Received on 6 January 2017) Fourth Periodic Report of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on the Implementation of the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe for the Protection of National Minorities in Slovenia (10 November 2016) INTRODUCTION On 25 February 1998, Slovenia ratified the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, one of the foremost international instruments on minority protection. The Convention contains no definition of the concept of national minority. Therefore, each State Party may decide which ethnic groups on its territory are to be given the status of national minorities as defined by the Convention. Upon ratifying the Framework Convention, the Republic of Slovenia, in compliance with the Constitution and its national legislation, declared in writing that the autochthonous Italian and Hungarian national communities in Slovenia shall be regarded as national minorities. Insofar as this does not contravene the Constitution or other legislative acts (the legal order), the provisions of the Framework Convention shall also apply to members of the Roma community living in Slovenia. Slovenia guarantees members of national minorities special constitutional rights, as follows: as well as to individual members of minorities, it guarantees rights to communities; it guarantees representation in state and local representative bodies, regardless of the number of minority members; it has explicitly committed to materially and morally support the exercise of these rights.1 The statutory rights of traditional minorities are stipulated in articles 5, 11, 61, 62, and 64 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia (Official Gazette Nos. 33/91-I, 42/97 – UZS68, 66/00 – UZ80, 24/03 – UZ3a, 47, 68, 69/04 – UZ14, 69/04 – UZ43, 69/04 – UZ50, 68/06 – UZ121, 140, 143, 47/13 – UZ148, and 47/13 – UZ90, 97, 99, hereinafter 'the Constitution'). Their status and the method of exercising their rights are also regulated by laws and other regulations and legal instruments. Since members of all minorities are Slovenian citizens, it is especially important that they be accorded a special status by the state. The collective rights of the Italian and Hungarian national communities are stipulated by the Constitution, while the collective rights of Roma are stipulated by a separate act. The Roma Community Act (Official Gazette No. 33/07), adopted on the basis of the Constitution, marked a milestone in improving the status of the Roma community in Slovenia. Equally important was the National Programme of Measures for Roma of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for the Period 2010–2015, which included all areas where special measures were needed to improve the situation of 1 "According to Slovenia's constitutional order, everyone, regardless of nationality, is guaranteed the right to freely express their national affiliation, foster their culture and use their language and script, particularly in proceedings before courts and other public authorities that take decicions on rights. In addition, the autochthonous Italian and Hungarian national communities have been granted special collective rights (free use of national symbols, education in their own language, right to develop relations with their nations of origin, establishment of self-governing communities, representation in representative bodies, consent in adoption of regulations concerning their rights). Roma enjoy only a number of these collective rights, such as municipal council representation." (Ustavnopravno varstvo manjšinskih narodnih skupnosti v Sloveniji (Constitutional protection of minority ethnic groups in Slovenia), Ciril Ribičič, 2004, https://revus.revues.org/1530) ACFC/SR/IV(2017)001 members of the Roma community, guarantee them equal opportunities and provide opportunities for the expression, preservation and development of the languages, cultures, and identities of different parts of the Roma community as a minority in Slovenia. 4 ACFC/SR/IV(2017)001 PART I Practical arrangements made at the national level for following up the results of the third monitoring cycle on the implementation of commitments under the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe for the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Slovenia a) Steps taken to publicise the results of the third monitoring cycle (Opinion, State comments, Resolution): publication, dissemination and translation into the official language(s) and minority language(s) where appropriate Slovenia notes that the Third Opinion of the Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities on Slovenia and the Comments of the Government of Slovenia on the Opinion of the Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Slovenia were published on the archival website of the state authority responsible for national minorities.2 Pursuant to the Constitution and having regard to the provisions of the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe for the Protection of National Minorities (hereinafter 'the Framework Convention'), which entered into force in the Republic of Slovenia on 1 July 1998, and of the Roma Community Act (Official Gazette No. 33/07), by decision No. 09501-2/2010/8 of 18 March 2010, the Government adopted the National Programme of Measures for Roma of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for the Period 2010–2015 (hereinafter 'the National Programme').3 At the end of 2015, the National Programme expired, and the competent authority for national minorities is drafting a new document aimed at implementing the constitutional and statutory provisions, as well as those included in the Framework Convention that concern the Roma community. In addition, the Government Office for National Minorities serves as the national contact point for the EU's National Roma Integration Strategy. In July 2013, the National Assembly adopted the Resolution on the National Programme for Language Policy 2014–2018 (Official Gazette No. 62/13).4 Pursuant to 2 Published on the former website of the Office: http://www.arhiv.uvn.gov.si/ (archival website, last updated on 17 March 2012). The new website of the Government Office for National Minorities is available at: http://www.un.gov.si/. 3 Published on the website of the Government Office for National Minorities at: http://www.un.gov.si/fileadmin/un.gov.si/pageuploads/Program_ukrepov.pdf. 4 The current National Programme stipulates that "Slovene language policy must put in place adequate measures in order to achieve two things: that the Slovene language remains the prevalent choice for native speakers to the largest possible extent in both private and public use," while being aware of "the particular responsibility of such policy to Slovenes who live outside the national borders and take into consideration all speakers whose mother tongue is not Slovene: members of the Hungarian and Italian national minorities, the Roma community, immigrants, and all other people who are or who wish to be in contact with Slovene whether within the borders of the Republic of Slovenia or beyond." (Resolution on the National Programme for Language Policy 2014–2018 (Official Gazette No. 62/13). ACFC/SR/IV(2017)001 the Resolution, the issues of bilingual business operations and the use of Italian and Hungarian are part of Slovenia's overall language policy. With a view to implementing the provisions of the Framework Convention and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Government on 23 July 2015 adopted Decision No. 61400-2/2015/5, which contains the Programme of Measures of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for the Implementation of Regulations on Bilingualism for the 2015–2018 Period5. b) Any follow-up activities organised at national, regional and local levels, including activities organised jointly with the Council of Europe, such as discussions, seminars, evaluations, impact assessments, studies etc., and the outcomes of these events On 4 and 5 June 2016, CoE experts paid a thematic visit concerning the empowerment of Roma youth and the participation of young people in national Roma integration strategies, which included an exchange of experience and a presentation of organisations that are concerned with Roma youth in practice and involved in activities to foster the social inclusion and education of Roma youth. The visit was organised by the competent authorities for national minorities and youth and the Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues (CAHROM). The participants at the opening event were welcomed by representatives of Slovenian state authorities, the CAHROM Chair, and the Secretary, who is also the Head of Inter-governmental Cooperation, Anti-Gypsyism and Roma Equality Unit and a member of the Roma SRSG support team. Representatives of the Roma Community Council, of the Roma Academic Club and of different public institutions shared their experience. During a thematic conference, representatives of Slovenian authorities presented youth policy measures, the education of Roma, the general situation of the Roma community and the statutory regulation of its status, particularly the National Programme and the Roma Community Act. They went on to discuss youth policies and related activities and