Strasbourg, 26 May 2003 MIN-LANG/PR (2003) 6 EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES Second Periodical Report presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter NETHERLANDS 1 CONTENTS Volume I: Second report on the measures taken by the Netherlands with regard to the Frisian language and culture (1999-2000-2001)............................................4 1 Foreword........................................................................................................4 2 Introduction...................................................................................................5 3 Preliminary Section.....................................................................................10 PART I .....................................................................................................................25 4 General measures.........................................................................................25 PART II .....................................................................................................................28 5 Objectives and principles.............................................................................28 PART III 31 6 Article 8: Education.....................................................................................31 7 Article 9: Judicial authorities.......................................................................79 8 Article 10: Administrative authorities and public services..........................90 10 Article 12: Cultural activities and facilities ...............................................119 11 Article 13: Economic and social life .........................................................143 12 Article 14: Transfrontier exchanges ..........................................................153 Annexe 1 Statutory and other government measures relating to the Frisian language ...................................................................................................................159 Annexe 2 Dutch Government position on the Frisian language................................166 Annexe 3 European and international conventions relevant to the Frisian language 167 Annexe 5 Authorities and organisations consulted....................................................169 Annexe 6 Duly constituted bodies and associations legally established in the Netherlands for the object of protecting and developing the Frisian language.....................................................................................................170 Annexe 7 List of abbreviations ..................................................................................180 Annexe 8 Frisian literature grants by the Literary Fund ............................................181 Volume II: Second Report on Low Saxon languages in the Netherlands ....................182 1 Introduction...............................................................................................182 2 Application of Article 7.............................................................................184 Annexe I: List of bodies and associations which further the protection and development of the Low Saxon languages in the Netherlands.......................................199 Volume III: Second report on Limburger language, Yiddish and Roma and Sinti languages in the Netherlands (1999-2000-2001).......................................203 2 The Limburger language in the Netherlands ................................................................203 1 Introduction................................................................................................203 2 Application of Article 7 .............................................................................205 Appendix 1: Addresses of associations promoting and preserving the Limburger language in the Netherlands ......................................................................209 Appendix 2: Budget for the regional language officer’s projects 2001-2004..............210 Yiddish in the Netherlands ...........................................................................................211 1. Introduction.....................................................................................................211 2 Application of Article 7 ...................................................................................212 Roma and Sinti languages in the Netherlands..............................................................216 1 Introduction 216 2 Application of Article 7 ...................................................................................217 3 Volume I: Second report on the measures taken by the Netherlands with regard to the Frisian language and culture (1999-2000-2001) Responsible editor: Auke van der Goot Rapporteurs: Piet Hemminga and Sytske de Jong, Fryske Akademy, Ljouwert/Leeuwarden Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations The Hague 2003 1 Foreword In a letter dated 4 December 2001, ref. BW2001/U98451, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations instructed the Fryske Akademy to prepare the second periodical report as described in Article 15 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, with particular reference to the Frisian language. In the above-mentioned article, the European Charter provides: ‘The Parties shall present periodically to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in a form to be prescribed by the Committee of Ministers, a report on their policy pursued in accordance with Part II of this Charter and on the measures taken in application of those provisions of Part III which they have accepted. The first report shall be presented within the year following the entry into force of the Charter with respect to the Party concerned, the other reports at three-yearly intervals after the first report.’ The structure of the second report follows the Outline for three-yearly periodical reports to be submitted by contracting parties, as adopted by the Committee of Ministers.1 In doing so, where possible and relevant, it also adheres to the structure of the first report.2 In addition, the second report frequently refers to the report of the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe on the application of the European Charter in the Netherlands of 2001 and the Covenant on the Frisian Language and Culture (2001), as adopted by the State of the Netherlands and the provincial authority of Fryslân. 3 The second report was prepared and compiled for the Fryske Akademy by Dr Piet Hemminga, an expert on public administration, and Ms Sytske de Jong, research assistant. Responsible editor for this report is Auke van der Goot, senior adviser at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. 1 Council of Europe, Outline for three-yearly periodical reports to be submitted by contracting parties, MIN- LANG (2002) 1, Strasbourg, 7 February 2002. 2 Auke S. van der Goot, European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Report on the measures taken by the Netherlands wit regard to the Frisian language and culture, Fryske Akademy, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, The Hague 1999. 3 Council of Europe, Report of the Committee of Experts on the application of the Charter: The Netherlands, ECRML (2001)1, Strasbourg, 20 September 2001 (“Report of the Committee of Experts”). Covenant on the Frisian Language and Culture (2001), Government Gazette 2001, 125. 4 2 Introduction 2.1 On 2 May 1996, the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands officially notified the Council of Europe that the Netherlands had accepted the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ETS 148), following the adoption of a bill to this effect by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the States General, on 19 October 1995 and 23 January 1996 respectively (Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 1996, 136). In doing so, the Netherlands became the fourth member state of the Council of Europe to accept or ratify the Charter.4 2.2 The Charter entered into force on 1 March 1998, following its acceptance, ratification or approval by at least five member states of the Council of Europe, in accordance with the provisions of Article 19. Every member state of the Council of Europe that binds itself to the Charter undertakes to apply as a minimum the provisions contained in Part II of the Charter, unless it has made one or more reservations, as referred to in Article 21(1). In addition, a member state may undertake to apply certain provisions from Part III of the Charter, in accordance with Article 2(2). 2.3 The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of 5 November 1992 was concluded in English and French. The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands published both texts in Dutch Treaty Series 1993, 1. A Dutch translation of the Charter was published in Dutch Treaty Series 1993, 199. Dutch Treaty Series 1998, 20(C) is also relevant to the Dutch translation. 2.4 On accepting the Charter in 1996, the Netherlands undertook to apply the provisions contained in Part II of the Charter to the following regional or minority languages spoken within its territory: - Frisian - the Lower Saxon languages - Yiddish - the Roma languages. The provisions of the Charter entered into force for the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 1 March 1998. As far as the Kingdom of the Netherlands is concerned, the Charter applies only to the Netherlands (cf Dutch Treaty Series 1998, 20). 2.5 On 19 March 1997, the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands submitted an additional