Strasbourg, 11 July 2007 MIN-LANG/PR (2007) 4 EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES Initial periodical report presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter SERBIA Belgrade, June 2007 C O N T E N T S 1. Background information ...........................................................................................................9 1.1. Geographic Location ............................................................................................................9 1.2. Historical Development ........................................................................................................9 1.3. Demographic Data …..........................................................................................................10 1.4. Basic Economic Indicators ..................................................................................................13 1.5. Indicators of Social Life ………..........................................................................................15 1.5.1. Education …..............................................................................................................15 1.5.2. Culture .......................................................................................................................17 1.5.3. Media ........................................................................................................................19 1.5.4. Periodical Publications …. ........................................................................................19 2. Constitutional and Administrative Structure .......................................................................21 2.1. Constitutional Definition of the Republic of Serbia ...........................................................21 2.2. Human and Minority Rights ...............................................................................................21 2.3. Constitutional Provisions on the Use and Protection of the Language ...............................22 2.4. Relationship between International and Internal Law and the Status of International Treaties and the Hiearchy of Internal Law .............................................................................................................24 2.5. Competences and Constitutional Bodies of the Republic of Serbia ...................................24 2.6. Competences of Autonomous Provinces.............................................................................27 2.7. Competences of Local Self-Governments.........................................................................................28 2.8. Division of Competences in the Regulation of the Use and Protection of Minority Languages ………….……..................................................................................................32 2.9. Tasks and Organisation of the Public Administration .......................................................................33 2.10. Tasks and Organisation of the Administration of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...........................................................................................................................34 2.11. Tasks and Organisation of the Administration of Local Self-Government Units..............34 2.12. Functional Decentralisation œ National Councils of National Minorities .........................35 2.13. Court Organisation … .......................................................................................................36 3. Background Information Concerning the Charter ..............................................................41 3.1. Information on the Accession Process ..............................................................................41 3.1.1. Background Information on the Accession Process .................................................41 3.1.2. Main Reasons that Guided the State in the Ratification Process ………….. ...........41 3.1.3. Explanatory Notes to the Interpretative Statement ...................................................43 3.2. Legal Acts Underpinning the Implementation of the Charter, Referred to in the Report ...50 3.3. Minority Languages in the Republic of Serbia ...................................................................53 3.3.1. Criteria for Defining the Concept of —A Speaker of a Minority Language“ .................................................................................................................53 3.3.2. Minority Languages, the Number of Speakers and Territorial Disposition ..............54 3.3.3. Non Territorial Languages.........................................................................................60 3.4. The Legal Protection of the Use and the Right to the Use of Minority Languages……….60 3.5. Bodies and Organisation which Promote the Protection and Development of Minority Languages…………………………………………………………………………………63 3.5.1. Administrative Authorities which Promote the Protection and Development of Minority Languages………………….......................................................................63 2 3.5.2. Monitoring the Official Use of Minority Languages..…...........................................65 3.5.3. Academic Bodies and Organisations.........................................................................65 3.6. Measures for the Promotion of Awareness of the Charter……………...............................66 3.7. Consultations with Relevant Bodies ...................................................................................67 3.8. General Indexes of the Language Situation in the Country.................................................70 3.8.1. General Information about Speakers of Minority Languages....................................70 3.8.2. Information about the Speakers and Knowledge of Minority Languages in the Public Authorities .....................................................................................................70 3.8.2.1. Information about the Speakers and Knowledge of Minority Languages in the Bodies of Judicial Power ...................................................................70 3.8.2.2. Data on Speakers and Knowledge of Minority Languages in the Bodies of Executive Power………...........................................................................74 3.8.2.3. Data about the Speakers and Knowledge of Minority Languages in the Bodies of the Provincial Administration......................................................80 3.8.2.4. Data about the Speakers and Knowledge of Minority Languages in the Bodies of the Local Self-Government..........................................................82 3.8.3. Data about Minority Languages in the Media...........................................................83 3.8.4. Data about Minority Languages in the Field of Culture............................................86 3.8.5. Minority Languages in Periodical Publications in 2006…………............................87 4. Implementation of Section II œ Article 7 of the Charter.......................................................90 4.1. Information on the Policy, Legislature and Practice of the Implementation of Section II œ Article 7 of the Charter............................ ......................................................................90 4.1.1. The Recognition of Minority Languages as an Expression of Cultural Wealth..........91 4.1.1.1. Policy.…......................................................................................................91 4.1.1.2. Legislation……............................................................................................92 4.1.1.3. Practice.........................................................................................................93 4.1.2. Respect for the Geographical Area of Minority Languages.....................................93 4.1.2.1. Policy.……..................................................................................................93 4.1.2.2. Legislation.……...........................................................................................93 4.1.2.3. Practice.........................................................................................................94 4.1.3. Resolute Action to Promote Minority Languages.....................................................94 4.1.3.1 Policy.............................................................................................................94 4.1.3.2. Legislation.……............................................................................................94 4.1.3.3. Practice..........................................................................................................94 4.1.4. The Establishment of Conditions for Facilitating and Promoting the Use of Minority Languages...................................................................................................95 4.1.4.1. Policy.…........................................................................................................95 4.1.4.2. Legislation.…................................................................................................95 4.1.4.3. Practice...........................................................................................................95 4.1.5. The Establishment of Cultural Links between Groups which Speak Minority Languages ……..........................................................................................................95 4.1.6. Provisions which Ensure the Study of Minority Languages…....................................95