ACFC/SR(2001)002 REPORT SUBMITTED BY SWITZERLAND PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25 PARAGRAPH 1 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES ______ (received 16 May 2001) ______ ACFC/SR(2001)002 The Swiss Government’s Initial Report on the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities April 2001 * * * 2 ACFC/SR(2001)002 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE: General overview of the situation of minorities in Switzerland and the way in which Switzerland has sought to implement the Framework Convention .................................6 1. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................6 2. DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION AND BASIC ECONOMIC DATA............................8 3. SWITZERLAND: A PLURALIST COMMUNITY ....................................................11 4. GENERAL POLITICAL STRUCTURE......................................................................13 4.1 Historical overview.......................................................................................................13 4.2. Federalism ....................................................................................................................15 4.3. The Confederation ........................................................................................................16 4.3.1. The Executive: the Federal Council .........................................................................16 4.3.2. The legislature: the Federal Parliament ....................................................................17 4.3.3. The judiciary: the Federal Court...............................................................................18 4.4. The cantons...................................................................................................................19 4.5. The municipalities ........................................................................................................19 4.6. Instruments of direct democracy ..................................................................................20 5. GENERAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS....................................................................................................................................20 5.1. Constitutional protection of fundamental rights...........................................................20 5.2. Competent authorities with regard to human rights and possibilities of recourse of persons claiming that their rights have been violated...............................................................22 6. STATUS OF PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE DOMESTIC LEGAL ORDER.....................................................................................................................................22 7. INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY...........................................................................23 PART TWO: Consideration of the various provisions of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.............................................................................................24 ARTICLE 1 ..............................................................................................................................24 1. SWISS PARTICIPATION IN AND CO-OPERATION WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS ................................................................................24 1.1. International Agreements .............................................................................................24 1.2. Encouragement of multilateral efforts designed to protect national minorities ...........26 1.3. Other activities for the protection of national minorities deployed by Switzerland at international level .....................................................................................................................27 2. LEGAL PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN SWITZERLAND.........28 ARTICLE 2 ..............................................................................................................................29 ARTICLE 3 ..............................................................................................................................30 1. INFORMATION ON NATIONAL MINORITIES IN SWITZERLAND...................30 1.1. Linguistic minorities.....................................................................................................30 1.2. Religious minorities......................................................................................................30 1.3. Other minorities............................................................................................................30 2. THE CONCEPT OF NATIONAL MINORITY IN THE SWISS LEGAL ORDER ...31 3. ADDITIONAL STATISTICAL INFORMATION ......................................................32 ARTICLE 4 ..............................................................................................................................33 1. EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW...............................................................................33 2. THE PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION ...........................................................34 3 ACFC/SR(2001)002 3. MEASURES TAKEN TO ELIMINATE INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION OF WHICH NATIONAL MINORITIES MAY BE VICTIMS .....................................................34 ARTICLE 5 ..............................................................................................................................35 1. SAFEGUARDING AND DEVELOPING THE CULTURE AND IDENTITY OF NATIONAL MINORITIES AS REGARDS THEIR RELIGION, LANGUAGE, TRADITIONS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE .....................................................................35 1.1. Religion ........................................................................................................................35 1.2. Languages.....................................................................................................................37 1.3. Culture ..........................................................................................................................38 2. POLICY ON THE INTEGRATION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES ........................43 3. PROTECTION AGAINST FORCED ASSIMILATION.............................................43 4. OFFICIAL INSTITUTIONS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES OF ARTICLE 5 TO A PARTICULAR EXTENT...........................................44 4.1. The Federal Commission against Racism ....................................................................44 4.2. Other official institutions..............................................................................................44 ARTICLE 6 ..............................................................................................................................45 1. MEASURES TO PROMOTE TOLERANCE..............................................................45 1.1. Education ......................................................................................................................45 1.1.1. At the cantonal level .................................................................................................45 1.1.2. At the federal level ...................................................................................................46 1.2. Culture ..........................................................................................................................47 1.3. The Media.....................................................................................................................47 2. APPROPRIATE MEASURES IN THE FIELD OF LEGAL PROTECTION.............49 ARTICLE 7 ..............................................................................................................................51 1. FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY.......................................................................................51 2. FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION .................................................................................53 ARTICLE 8 ..............................................................................................................................55 1. THE RIGHT TO MANIFEST ONE’S RELIGION OR BELIEF ................................55 2. FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS...................................57 ARTICLE 9 ..............................................................................................................................57 1. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, FREEDOM TO HOLD OPINIONS AND FREEDOM TO RECEIVE AND IMPART INFORMATION ................................................57 ARTICLE 10 ............................................................................................................................60 1. GUARANTEE IN LINGUISTIC MATTERS .............................................................60 1.1. Applicable provisions ...................................................................................................60 1.2. Freedom of language in the Swiss legal order..............................................................61 2. USE OF A MINORITY LANGUAGE IN RELATIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS 61 3. USE OF A MINORITY LANGUAGE IN RELATIONS WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES.....................................................................................62 4. GUARANTEES RELATING TO THE USE OF LANGUAGE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS................................................................................................................................63