The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages has published its seventh report on the Netherlands, highlighting how the use of Frisian, Limburgish, Low Saxon, Romanes and Yiddish should be strengthened. The report, which welcomes the on-going discussions on the extension of the Charter to Papiamento/u, calls for an explicit reference to ‘language’ in Dutch equal treatment laws.
The report stresses the importance of guaranteeing the teaching in/of regional and minority languages in the school curriculum. Several shortcomings concerning teaching in Frisian are noted, especially at primary school level. The report also points out that the teaching in/of Low Saxon and Limburgish is not ensured at any level of compulsory education. Financial support is given to schools teaching Yiddish. Although Frisian can be used in judicial proceedings, there are difficulties regarding interpretation in criminal proceedings that must be addressed without further delay. The official adoption and use of bilingual place and street names should be further improved.
Frisian is present on radio, television, and occasionally in regional newspapers and magazines. Although several initiatives have been launched to encourage greater use of Limburgish and Low Saxon in the media, their use should be regulated through an amendment to the 2008 Media Act. Editorials are rarely published in Limburgish and Low Saxon in written media and there are no media published in Yiddish or Romanes.
The seventh evaluation report of the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is based on the information provided by governmental and non-governmental sources, including that obtained during its visit to the Netherlands in June/July 2022. The report has been published together with comments from the authorities. A summary is also available in Dutch.
