Sveriges Rapport Till Europarådet
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Strasbourg, 13 July 2006 ACFC/SR/II(2006)005 [English only] SECOND REPORT SUBMITTED BY SWEDEN PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25, PARAGRAPH 1 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES Received on 13 July 2006 Sweden’s report to the Council of Europe on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities Report submitted in accordance with Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention, second report Ministry of Justice 2 Foreword Sweden’s majority and minority populations have a long, common history. The Sámi, for example, lived in Sweden a long time before the country became a nation state and the first Roma and Jews came to Sweden in the 16th and 17th century respectively. Furthermore, Finland was part of Sweden for seven hundred years. Indeed, we have not just a common history but also a common future and in order for this to be a future for all, differences in origin, identity and belonging need to be respected and valued. One of the most important cornerstones of Swedish democracy is the principle of every person’s equal value. Active efforts are needed if this principle is to prevail and the Swedish minority policy forms an important component of the work being done. For languages to be able to develop and survive, they need to be used. For cultures to be enriched and contribute to the development of society, they need space. My hope is that Sweden’s minority policy does not just support our national minorities but also gives them the greatest possible scope to develop their languages and cultures. It is my wish that everyone in Sweden, regardless of their ethnic origin, shall be able to contribute to the development of society. Through this, our common future will develop sustainably. Sweden ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities on 9 February 2000 and it came into force on 1 June the same year. Sweden submitted its first report to the Council of Europe in June 2001. Sweden hereby submits its second report on its compliance with the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. As can be seen from the report, Sweden has improved the protection of its national minorities substantially. This report follows the instructions laid down by the Council of Europe in its general guidelines, adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 15 January 2003 at the 824th Ministerial Meeting. The report discusses the measures taken and the changes that have taken place during the five years that have passed since the first report was submitted. An account of the measures implemented is given article by article. The answers to the particular questions posed to Sweden by the Council of Europe are presented within the framework of the relevant articles. Stockholm, 30 June 2006 Jens Orback Minister responsible for Sweden’s policy on national minorities 3 Table of contents Part 1........................................................................................................................................5 Part 2........................................................................................................................................8 Fundamental principles, Section I of the Framework Convention..........................................8 ARTICLE 1..........................................................................................................................8 ARTICLE 2..........................................................................................................................8 ARTICLE 3..........................................................................................................................8 Commitments in accordance with part II of the Framework Convention .............................10 ARTICLE 4........................................................................................................................10 ARTICLE 5........................................................................................................................19 ARTICLE 6........................................................................................................................22 ARTICLE 7........................................................................................................................28 ARTICLE 8........................................................................................................................29 ARTICLE 9........................................................................................................................30 ARTICLE 10......................................................................................................................34 ARTICLE 11......................................................................................................................36 ARTICLE 12......................................................................................................................37 ARTICLE 13......................................................................................................................42 ARTICLE 14......................................................................................................................43 ARTICLE 15......................................................................................................................45 ARTICLE 16......................................................................................................................49 ARTICLE 17......................................................................................................................49 ARTICLE 18......................................................................................................................50 Appendices.............................................................................................................................52 Appendix 1, Relevant Swedish legislation ..........................................................................52 Summary of comments made by national minority organisations ........................................87 4 Part 1 Follow-up measures Sweden pursues an integrated, cross-sectoral minorities policy. In order to bring about effective, sustainable implementation of this policy, an inter-ministerial working group has been in place since 2000. This group is made up of civil servants from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Research and Culture and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs. The working group’s tasks are to co-ordinate government minority policy measures, to ensure that the objectives of minority policy have an impact within various subject areas and help to monitor and evaluate it. During 2005, the work done by the group has raised the level of awareness of national minorities within the Swedish Government Offices and to integrate the minority policy perspective into the relevant sector policies to a greater extent than before. Norrbotten County Administrative Board has the task of monitoring the application of the acts on the right to use Sámi, Finnish and Meänkieli in contacts with administrative authorities and courts (Act 1999:1175 and Act 1999:1176). The County Administrative Board also distributes government grants to municipalities and county councils in accordance with the Ordinance on government grants for measures to support the use of Sámi, Finnish and Meänkieli (2000:86). The County Administrative Board reports annually to the Government on how government grants are being distributed to municipalities and county councils and on the results and costs of regional initiatives. A special working group at the County Administrative Board has evaluated the extent to which the authorities comply with the legislation governing the right to use minority languages and the extent to which individuals invoke it. The evaluation shows, among other things, that the use of minority languages in dealings with administrative authorities and courts is associated with various difficulties and that information initiatives need to be improved. It also shows that, as regards the minority language laws, it is important to gain deeper knowledge about the extent to which individuals are able to utilise the rights and opportunities offered by the legislation. In an effort to increase awareness of the minority language legislation, the County Administrative Board working group, in co-operation with the Norrbotten Branch of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities, organised a conference in Jokkmokk at the end of 2004. Thereafter, co-operation between the two bodies has been further strengthened in order to help the Association to stimulate its member municipalities to extend their collaboration on minority language issues within the various fields of public administration. Reports by the County Administrative Board to the Government show that there is an ongoing work to draw up action plans on minority policy within all the municipalities covered by the minority language legislation. 5 The Committee on the Constitution at the Swedish Riksdag has among other things through its evaluation of implemented government initiatives followed up the decision on national minorities and minority languages adopted by the Riksdag in 1999.1 The follow-up shows that there is a gap between central government and the municipal level when it comes to implementation of the policy on minorities. One conclusion drawn by the Committee