CoE urges Croatia to comply with European languages charter

CoE urges Croatia to comply with European languages charter

In a statement on Friday, the CoE called on Croatia to comply with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The CoE Committee of Ministers recommended on April 15 that the Croatian authorities continue the efforts “to promote awareness and tolerance vis-a-vis the minority languages, in all aspects, including usage of signs and traditional local names with inscriptions in Cyrillic script,” the organization said.

The CoE underlines that the use of minority languages on public signs is a measure that has a significant positive effect on the prestige and public awareness of the minority languages.

This stand is supported by the CoE Committee of Ministers, which over the years adopted several recommendations concerning the use of minority languages on public signs.

The Council of Europe expresses deep regret over the removal of signs with inscriptions in minority languages through acts of vandalism or based on a formal decision aimed at restricting the presence of minority languages in public, and urges the state authorities in all Member States to fully comply with the provisions of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the release states.