ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 Fifth Report submitted by Lithuania Pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities – received on 19 July 2021 ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 THE FIFTH REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA SUBJECT TO ARTICLE 25 OF THE CONVENTION 2021 2 ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: PART I – PRACTICAL MEASURES TAKEN AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ON THE RESULTS OF THE FOURTH MONITORING PHASE AND THE CONVENTION PART II – RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION A. COMMITTEE OF MINISTER’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION RECOMMENDATION 1 RECOMMENDATION 2 RECOMMENDATION 3 RECOMMENDATION 4 PART III – OTHER MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE KEY ARTICLES OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES ARTICLE 1 ARTICLE 2 ARTICLE 3 ARTICLE 4 ARTICLE 5 ARTICLE 6 ARTICLE 7 ARTICLE 8 ARTICLE 9 ARTICLE 10 ARTICLE 11 ARTICLE 12 ARTICLE 13 ARTICLE 14 ARTICLE 15 ARTICLE 16 ARTICLE 17 ARTICLE 18 ARTICLE 19 3 ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 INTRODUCTION: The Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (hereinafter referred to as the “Convention”), adopted on 1 February 1995, is one of the main and most important international instruments establishing the protection of the rights and freedoms of persons belonging to national minorities. The Republic of Lithuania, one of the first European states to sign the Convention on 1 February 1995, ratified it without reservation on 23 March 2000 and undertook to respect and protect human rights and freedoms, to create equal conditions for the self-expression and cultural equality of all persons belonging to national minorities. The Convention entered into force on 1 July 2000. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (hereinafter referred to as the “Advisory Committee”) shall monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Convention. The Advisory Committee shall be kept regularly informed of the implementation of the provisions of the Convention and the recommendations of the Advisory Committee. In accordance with Article 25(2) of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Republic of Lithuania shall submit a report every five years. The fifth report will be submitted for the period of 2016-2021. The information for the fifth report was provided by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, State Commission of the Lithuanian Language and the Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics. The draft report was published on the website of the Department of National Minorities www.tmde.lt, and was presented to and coordinated with the National Communities Board. The report consists of three parts: 1) information on the results of the fourth monitoring phase; 2) information on the actions taken by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania following the recommendations of the Advisory Committee; and 3) information on the policy pursued by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, taking into account the articles of the Convention and the recommendations that were received. 4 ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 PART I PRACTICAL MEASURES TAKEN AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ON THE RESULTS OF THE FOURTH MONITORING PHASE AND THE CONVENTION Publication of the results of the fourth monitoring phase The fourth report on the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Lithuania, in accordance with Article 25 of this Convention, was issued in Lithuanian and in English. Publications were distributed by the staff of the Department of National Minorities at events, meetings of various levels and types, and were distributed to foreign embassies, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministries of Culture, Social Security and Labour, Education, Science and Sport, Justice, Foreign Affairs and the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, Seimas Ombudsperson’s Office, Office of the Inspector of Journalistic Ethics, State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Human Rights Monitoring Institute, as well as to the public institutions the House of National Communities, Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations, Roma Community Centre, national minority organisations, municipalities of Alytus, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Marijampolė, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Šilutė, Šalčininkai, Širvintos, Švenčionys, Traka, Visaginas, Ignalina, and Vilnius Cities and Districts, and to the non-governmental organisations of national minorities. The website of the Department of National Minorities1 publishes the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in November 1994, the fourth report of the Republic of Lithuania in Lithuanian and English, the fourth opinion of the Advisory Committee on Lithuania adopted on 30 May 2018, Thematic Commentary No. 4 “The scope of application of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities” of 27 May 2016, and Resolution CM/ResCMN(2019)4 on the implementation 1Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania https://tmde.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos- sritys-1/tarptautinis-bendradarbiavimas/europos-tarybos-tautiniu-mazumu-apsaugos-pagrindu-konvencija-ir-jos- igyvendinimas 5 ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Lithuania adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 27 March 2019 at the 1342nd Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies. Continuous activities in disseminating the results of the fourth monitoring phase The recommendations2 set out in the fourth monitoring stage Resolution CM/ResCMN(2019)4 on the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Lithuania were included in all the priority activities of the Department of National Minorities. The recommendations have become the key guidelines for developing strategic and operational plans. In organising its activities, the Department of National Minorities paid special attention to the implementation of the provisions of the recommendations. In Jašiūnai (Šalčininkai District), Klaipėda, Kėdainiai, Visaginas, Vilnius, Trakai and other Lithuanian cities, the Department of National Minorities organised seminars, conferences and training for the representatives of education, media, municipalities and non-governmental organisations, during which the thematic issues of the event were formulated, taking into account the recommendations of the fourth monitoring stage, e.g. the seminars “Peculiarities of Roma Children’s Education at School” (for school teachers, administration and municipal representatives) and “Education in a Multicultural Environment” (for teachers of Sunday Schools in Lithuanian ethnic communities) discussed bilingualism, the ability to adapt to the Lithuanian-speaking environment, working methods and teaching aids. The seminar “Objective media ≠ Interesting media?” organised in collaboration with the Lithuanian Journalists Union (for journalists writing about Lithuanian national minorities) discussed the stereotypes that have become entrenched not only in our society, but also in the media. The practice of cooperation with Lithuanian national libraries launched by the Department of National Minorities in publicising the contribution of national minorities to Lithuanian culture and researching the historical and cultural heritage of national minorities has proved to be successful. In 2019 the Department of National Minorities signed an interinstitutional cooperation agreement with M. Mažvydas National Library. Joint public events were organised in accordance with this agreement and the recommendations. Together with Judaica Department of this Library, Jewish heritage was researched and a calendar dedicated to the Year of Gaon was published. The Department of National Minorities cooperated with other national libraries by jointly preparing projects presenting the 2 Resolution CM/ResCMN(2019)4 on the implementation of the Framework Convention of the Protection of National Minorities by Lithuania https://tmde.lrv.lt/uploads/tmde/documents/files/resolution%20Lithuania.pdf 6 ACFC/SR/V(2021)004 national minorities and their activities. Together with the Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the Department of National Minorities organised a number of public events, including a scientific-practical seminar titled “Library: A Space Connecting Different Cultures”. The seminar aimed to discuss the contribution of various national minorities living in Lithuania to the Lithuanian culture, their legacy in