Poland needs to take a more “proactive” and “structured” approach to promote regional or minority languages, says a report published today by the Committee of Experts, which monitors adherence to the Council of Europe’s European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Although Polish legislation provides a framework for using regional or minority languages in fields such as education, administration, media, culture – and the Polish authorities provide financial support for activities and initiatives in the languages covered by the Charter – the report found significant gaps in implementing the Charter, which entered into force in Poland in 2009 and applies to the following languages: Armenian, Belarusian, Czech, German, Karaim, Kashub, Lemko, Lithuanian, Romani, Russian, Slovak, Tatar, Ukrainian and Yiddish.
Based on the political and legal situation prevailing at the time of the Committee of Experts’ visit to Poland in March this year, the report determined “obvious negative consequences” after Poland lowered teaching of German as a minority language since September last year to only one hour per week, unlike the three hours for the other regional or minority languages. The reversal of this measure is one of the main recommendations of the report.
