Strasbourg, 23 September 2002 MIN-LANG/PR (2002) 7 EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES Initial periodical report submitted to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter SPAIN REPORT ON THE APPLICATION IN SPAIN OF THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES 2002 CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................................4 1. General information ..............................................................................................................................................................4 1. Historical development.....................................................................................................................................................4 2. Geographic and demographic data .................................................................................................................................6 3. Basic economic data .........................................................................................................................................................7 3.1. Gross domestic product and per capita disposable family income ...................................................................7 3.2. Employment structure of the population..............................................................................................................8 3.3. Data useful for the linguistic situation ................................................................................................................10 4. The constitutional and administrative structure of the state.....................................................................................11 4.1. Spanish Autonomous Organisation. General principles of Spanish Autonomous Organisation...............11 4.2. Powers of the Autonomous Communities...........................................................................................................12 4.3. Institutional organisation of the Autonomous Communities ...........................................................................12 4.4. Indicators of the degree of decentralisation in Spain ........................................................................................13 4.5. Distribution of employees working for each of the different levels of territorial organisation .................13 4.6. The special status of the Aran Valley ..................................................................................................................14 2. Regional or minority languages spoken in Spain ...........................................................................................................14 3. Number of speakers and criteria used to define the term "speaking a regional or minority language"................16 4. Non-territorial languages in Spain ....................................................................................................................................23 5. Recent general statements on government policy on the protection of regional or minority languages..............24 II. PART ONE..........................................................................................................................................................................25 1. Legal instruments and provisions for application of the Charter ................................................................................25 1. The Spanish Constitution...............................................................................................................................................25 2. Statutes of Autonomy of the Autonomous Communities in which the regional language has the status of an official language...................................................................................................................................................................26 2.1. Basque Country .......................................................................................................................................................26 2.2. Catalonia ...................................................................................................................................................................27 2.3. Galicia .......................................................................................................................................................................27 2.4. Community of Valencia .........................................................................................................................................27 2.5. Navarre ......................................................................................................................................................................28 2.6. Balearic Islands........................................................................................................................................................28 3. Statutes of Autonomy of the Autonomous Communities in which the regional language does not have the status of official language...................................................................................................................................................29 3.1. Asturias .....................................................................................................................................................................29 3.2. Aragon.......................................................................................................................................................................29 4. Autonomous Acts passed by the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Communities ............................29 4.1. Basque Country .......................................................................................................................................................30 4.2. Catalonia ...................................................................................................................................................................30 4.3. Galicia .......................................................................................................................................................................31 4.4. Community of Valencia .........................................................................................................................................31 4.5. Navarre ......................................................................................................................................................................31 4.6. Balearic Islands........................................................................................................................................................31 4.7. Asturias .....................................................................................................................................................................31 4.8. Aragon.......................................................................................................................................................................31 2. Legal protection of the right to use the regional language ...........................................................................................32 3. Case-law of the Constitutional Court on co-official languages...................................................................................33 4. Bodies promoting the protection and development of languages................................................................................37 1. Academic bodies .............................................................................................................................................................37 2. Adminis trative units for language policy....................................................................................................................41 5. Consultation of the bodies indicated................................................................................................................................44 2 6. Measures taken to raise awareness of the Charter..........................................................................................................46 7. Measures taken to implement the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers and bring them to the notice of the authorities concerned........................................................................................................................................46 III. PART TWO: APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE CHARTER ON OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES .....................................................................................................................................................................................................47 1. Measures taken to apply Article 7 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages .......................47 2. Levels of responsibility.......................................................................................................................................................49 IV. PART THREE: APPLICATION OF THE PARAGRAPHS AND OPTIONS CHOSEN BY SPAIN ..............51 ARTICLE 8. EDUCATION ..............................................................................................................................................52 ARTICLE 9. JUDICIAL AUTHORITIES.....................................................................................................................73