U.S. English Foundation Research

ITALY

Language Research

The Constitution, adopted on December 22, 1947

Framework Law on the Protection of Historic Linguistic Minorities

After a fifty-year wait, Italy's twelve linguistic minorities have finally been granted official protection by the state. The new legislation, which was passed just before Christmas (1999/2000), protects the language and the culture of all twelve indigenous linguistic minorities living in Italy. These twelve include Albanians, Catalans, Croatians, French, Franco-Provençal, Friulians, Germanophone groups, Greeks, Ladins, Occitans, Sardinians and Slovenes. Historically, the Italian Constitution has described these groups as “linguistic minorities”, which expressed their right to be protected. But such a provision was effectively diluted by the fact that many of them were not recognized as separate, distinct languages. An example of this is the Friulian and the Sardinian languages, traditionally referred to as dialects of Italian, but are now officially considered independent languages because of the new legislation. The law gives complete power and responsibility to the provincial and municipal governments, which then have to request for the application of the legislation on their own territories. Alternatively, the request can made either by a third of the municipal councilors or by 15% of the population in that municipality. From now on, regional, provincial and municipal governments have the power of deciding on matters concerning the promotion of minority languages and cultures.

Furthermore, the legislation represents practical help for the local administrations because it allows them define new types of economic development. Acting for the promotion of the local language and culture also involves working for the economic development of what are frequently, peripheral areas where linguistic minorities tend to live. Under the legislation, a National Fund for the protection of linguistic minorities is to be established. This body will distribute and administer the annual budget of around 20 billion Italian lire among the different local authorities.

The law also contains several educational provisions. An important aspect is the new value given to the teaching of the minority language through such measures as additional lessons at school, experimental school programs and afternoon classes, since the legislation does not provide any compulsory measures. The use of minority languages will also be allowed in dealings with public administration. The minority language will be seen on local place names and new measures are to be made for radio and television programs. But above all, Italy's twelve linguistic minorities – the largest number of any EU state – have finally received legal recognition and protection from the state.

ALBANIAN

There is no legal status for the Albanian language. At the regional level, however, Albanian is accorded some degree of official recognition in the autonomy statutes of Calabria, Basilicata and Molise. The linguistic and historical heritage as well as the popular traditions of the Albanian communities existing in their territories shall be promoted. In certain communities the local authorities support cultural and linguistic activities promoted by the ethnic Albanian minority and have agreed to the erection of bilingual road signs.

CATALAN

The Regional Law of Sardinia of September 11, 1997 refers to the protection of the language and culture in Sardinia, and to the Catalan language spoken in Alghero.

CROATIAN

There is no legal status for the Croatian language.

FRENCH (FRANCO-PROVENÇAL)

French has been the official language of the Aosta Valley since 1561, with the exception of a short period of some twenty years (from about 1925 to 1945), when its usage was banned by the fascist regime. The special status of political and administrative autonomy, which the Region has been enjoying since 1948, accords equal recognition to the French and Italian languages. Francoprovençal dialects do not enjoy the same official status, but their usage is very widespread and they are often the object of public initiatives aimed at their safeguard and ultimate expansion. It is the hope of ethnic French speakers to gain a similar protection to the Germanophone dialects (Walser) which are spoken in three communities of the Lys valley (Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Gressoney-la Trinité, and Issime). A 1933 constitutional law including the status of autonomy for the region guarantees these dialects' protection.

FRIULIAN

Friulian is not officially recognized as a language but enjoys considerable unofficial support from the Friulian-speaking community.

The only recognition given to the language is set out in Article of the regional Special Statutes for the Autonomous Regions of Italy:

“In the Region, all citizens shall receive equal treatment, irrespective of the language group to which they belong, and therefore their ethnic and cultural characteristics shall be preserved.”

According to the Regional Law 68/1981, regulations cover the education system, studies and research, publishing, theatre, place names and folklore. They provide for the protection and use of the Friulian language that is in keeping with the size of the Friulian-speaking population and the cultural potential inherent in this language.

On February 22 of 2000, a regional law was published including in its fifth Article some amendments to the Regional Law 15/96 dealing with the protection and promotion of the Friulian language and culture. These new amendments call for several changes concerning the administrative competences involved in the promotion of Friulian, which could impact the distribution of the budgets assigned for this purpose. However, the real application of the law will have to wait due to the fact that Italy has yet to figure out how to correctly apply these laws.

According to language experts gathered at the “IV International Symposium on European Languages and Legislation”, the contradiction between the administrative bodies in charge of the implementation of the law is due to a lack of confidence in the normalization process. There is no willingness to make a compromise on the part of members of the government concerning the real promotion of minority languages.

GERMAN

The use of German was recognized in the “Paris Agreement” (September 5, 1946), which provided, amongst other things, for Italy to give the Province of South Tyrol an autonomous legislative and executive power.

The new Autonomy Statute (which came in to effect on January 20, 1972) contains 115 Articles, divided into 12 chapters. These chapters cover such matters as; the establishment of the Regions and the Provinces of Trento and Bozen, powers of the Region and Provinces, approval of laws, local public bodies, public property, finance, establishment of posts in state offices in the Province of Bozen, legal bodies, the role of the Constitutional Court, and the use of the German and Ladin languages. With this statute the powers of the Region and the Provinces have been redefined, with the powers of the two Provinces substantially increased in comparison with the past. The provisions of the autonomy apply generally to both Provinces in the same manner.

South Tyrol has added some special provisions regarding the use of the mother tongue, schools, culture, bilingualism, and ethnic proportions in employment, etc. On the basis of the Paris Agreement, the South Tyrol Autonomy Statute should ensure the linguistic and cultural development of the German and Ladin linguistic groups within the framework of the Italian State. At the same time the autonomy is a territorial one, i.e. the benefits of these enlarged powers of self-government apply to members of all three linguistic groups in South Tyrol.

The agreement regarding the language parity in South Tyrol is often taken as a model by those countries, where language minorities are integrated. It is the guarantee for a peaceful co-existence of all three-language groups. Nevertheless, the way to this language parity was obstructed for a long period by disapproval and rejection from the Italian side.

The first Executive Measures for the special statute for the Region Trentino-Südtirol relating to the use of the German language were issued with Presidential Decree n. 688/59. The decree provided for the joint use of the German and Italian languages in the drawing up of acts and measures. Anyone who had an interest could request and receive a cost-free translation of acts in his own language.

For the judicial process, land registry offices, registry offices, notary acts and police proceedings relating to the courts and taxation, the first Executive Measures were issued with Presidential Decree n. 103/60. The use of the German language was effectively ensured in the same way with regard to translations into German or Italian upon request. The procedure to be followed was laid down in this same Executive Measure.

With the so-called Ethnic Proportions Decree n. 752 of 26 July 1976, proof of an acceptable knowledge of both provincial languages in South Tyrol, German and Italian, was made obligatory for public service. A Special Commission through a bilingual examination ascertains this “acceptable knowledge of the German and Italian languages”. The examination, held in a new format since January 27, 1999 consists of a written and an oral portion, and according to degrees of difficulty, applies to four career levels.

In May of 1989 the parity of the German Language with the Italian in public administration, the courts and the police, etc. was promulgated by Presidential Decree n. 574/1988. The principle of the parity of the Italian and German languages is laid down in Articles 99 and 100 of the new Autonomy Statute:

Article 99

“In the Region the German language is equal with the Italian language, which is the official language of the State. In legislative acts and in all cases where this Statute provides for a bilingual text, the Italian text is authentic.”

Article 100

“German-speaking citizens of the Province of Bozen (Bolzano) have the right to use their language in relations with the judicial offices and with the organs and offices of the public administration which are situated in the Province or which possess regional power, as well as with licensees who provide public services in the Province. In sittings of the collegial organs of the Region, of the Province of Bozen (Bolzano) and of local bodies of that Province the Italian or the German language may be used. The offices, the organs and the licensees referred to in paragraph 1 shall use in correspondence and in oral dealings the language of the applicant and shall reply in the language in which proceedings by another organ or office have been started; in cases where an office initiates correspondence it must use the presumed mother tongue of the citizen to whom it is directed. Except for cases expressly provided for:

• An except for the regulation through executive measures of cases of joint use of the two languages in documents intended for the general public, in individual documents intended for the general public, in individual documents intended for public use and in documents intended for more than one office

The right to use the German or Italian language separately in other cases shall be recognized. The requirement to use only the Italian language in organizations of a military nature shall remain unchanged.”

The regulations on bilingualism contained in the above-mentioned Ethnic Proportions Decree have been extended in Law n. 724/94, to the recruitment of personnel in firms, societies and bodies that carry out public services of use to the public in the Autonomous Province of Bozen (Bolzano).

The use of the German and Ladin languages in firms licensed to provide public services was regulated by the Legislative Decree 446/1996. On the basis of this regulation, in such licensed firms work must be organized in the way that the possibility of using both languages, German and Italian, is guaranteed.

GREEK

There is no official legal recognition for the language. The Calabrian Autonomy Statute accords recognition to the historical cultural heritage of the ethnic Albanian and Greek populations and makes provision for the promotion of language instruction in the places where they are respectively spoken. In 1993 the Calabrian regional authorities also set up the “Istituto Regionale Superiore di Studi Ellenofoni”, which is based in Bova Marina.

LADIN

The Ladin communities in the province of Bolzano/Bozen (Val Badia and Val Gardena) enjoy more legal and administrative protection than those in the provinces of Trento and Belluno. Ladin has been officially recognized since 1948 in the Statute of Autonomy of the Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-Südtirol) Region.

The executive measures contain a special regulation providing for the use of the Ladin language, by native speakers, in oral and written communications with offices of the public administration and the courts. Through Legislative Decree 345/1997 a written examination for the Ladin language was also provided.

Official policy, as regards the support of Ladin, varies considerably from one area to another. In Bolzano, Ladin is supported in schools and the public media through financial contributions also by the payment of an allowance for trilingual language education to public servants. Language expansion and standardization programs have never been exploited, however, at the political level. In Trentino, on the other hand, Ladin receives much less support than in Bolzano. Although there is a Ladin cultural institute and a recognized Ladin valley community, activities are very limited. Finally, in Belluno, Ladins are not recognized as a separate language community. The Law dealing with the financial support of cultural initiatives, which has been in existence since 1984, has not been properly implemented up to now.

OCCITAN

At the national level, there are no legal regulations for the protection of the Occitan language. The region of Piedmont, however, approved two laws (in 1979 and 1990) to promote and protect the development of activities and cultural resources associated with Occitan. The laws also protect the linguistic and cultural heritage of Piedmont.

SARDINIAN

Although Sardinia is an autonomous region with a Special Statute, the native language does not enjoy any legal recognition. The main problem for an effective use of the Sardinian language is the lack of a standard dialect accepted by whole speaking community.

SLOVENE

The legal status of the language differs considerably from one province to the next. In Udine, Slovenes do not enjoy any clearly defined linguistic rights. In Gorizia, the Slovenes are entitled to their own schools. The Slovenes in Trieste, however, receive the best treatment. The Special Statute attached to the London Memorandum of 1954 covers their linguistic rights.

The borders between Italy and the former Yugoslavia were finally established under the Osimo Treaty (1975). Sub-section of the Preamble to the nine Articles of the Treaty stipulates the greatest possible loyalty towards the minorities in the two countries. The Treaty was based on the principles of the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Covenants on Human Rights. The basic text in respect to minorities was the Memorandum of Understanding between the Italian, United States, United Kingdom and former Yugoslavian governments, signed in London in May 1954. Since the Treaty does not set out any territorial provisions, the geographical distribution of the minorities was the subject of vigorous debate.

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Updated (January 2001)

MINORITY LAW

On April 11, the Italian Government finally approved regulations in order to implement the Law No 482 On Protection of Historic Linguistic Minorities. The legislation passed a year and half ago for the first time recognizes 12 autochthonous linguistic minorities in Italy.

SUPPORT FOR FOREIGN ITALIANS

Italian Senate has approved a law granting financial support to the Italian minority living in Slovenia and in Croatia, in region of Istria and Rijeka. About 35,000 Italians live on Istrian peninsula, mostly in Croatia. The law will provide about 15 million Euros for the next three years for economic and cultural development of the minority communities.

SLOVENE

On February 23, 2001 the Italian Senate approved the protection Act 38 for the Slovene minority in northeastern Italy (region Friuli Venezia Giulia). Slovenes waited for more than fifty years for legislation, which had been foreseen by the Italian Constitution in 1948 for the first time and later by the Osimo Treaty (1975) between Italy and the former Yugoslavia. Acceptance of the law represents a major boost for Italian-Slovene relations.

The law unifies the Slovene minority living in three provinces in the northeast of Italy and it also for the first time officially recognizes Slovene presence in the Udine province.

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Updated (October 2001)

The “Gazzeta Ufficiale della Reppublica Italiana” has officially published the regulation for implementation the Framework Act 482/99 on the Protection of Italian Historic Linguistic Minorities. This regulation previously presented by the former government of Giuliano Amato guarantees the use of the minority languages in education, allows members of municipal, provincial and regional councils to use them in the official bodies and also respects for original names in historical minority languages as well as place names in the concerned territories. This regulation is fully effective since September 14, 2001, the day of its publication in the official gazette. Since the publication, the commission in charge of drafting the document will devote itself to the elaboration of the regulation of Act 38/2001, which is concerning the linguistic minority of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Both regulations will have to be implemented by the new Berlusconi government.

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Updated (March 2002)

In Italy, the amendment about the Italian as an official language to the Constitution was initiated by rightwing party Alleanza nazionale. According to the initiative takers of this amendment the bill will help to fight “strong separatist tensions that are spreading beyond the historical minorities of the Italian territory, into larger areas of the national territory on the basis of the ethnic identity or dialects, sometimes not existing.”

The proposal is supported by the majority of the political parties including the center-leftwing opposition.

However, there is also a strong opposition. The petition against Italian as the official language in the Constitution has received 200 e-signatures in just two days, despite a very little publicity.

“Until now there has been no media coverage of the petition in Italy,” said Matteo Incerti, initiative taker to the petition on behalf of the European Free Alliance (EFA) in Italy. “Despite the common belief that people who defend regional languages are just from northern Italian regions, there are a lot of signatures from Sicily and Naples – around 20%. And also Italian speakers, who sign in the name of freedom,” explained Incerti.

Belgian MEP Nelly Maes, Chairwoman of the EFA, commented on her signature on the petition:

“Italian is the general language in Italy, but it is a fact that there are a more languages in Italy – not only dialects, but clearly defined languages. It would be against all common sense to change the Constitution to resemble the French Constitution. Look at what happens there – regional languages cannot get any support because of the article that states that French is the language of the Republic.” Maes gave the decision on the Corsican language as the most recent example, where the French Constitutional Council voted against a law that would have given certain legislative powers to Corsica, among them the power to decide over their education language. The French Interior Minister at the time of the law proposal (summer 2000), Jean-Pierre Chevènement – who is now one of the presidential candidates – resigned in protest against giving Corsica these powers.

“UNESCO said that there were almost 30 native languages in Italy. The Italian Parliament is ready to vote against UNESCO and freedom,” warned Matteo Incerti.

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Updated (May 2002)

On May 3, 2002 the Italian Government finally nominated the remaining four members of so-called Parithetic Committee to supervise the application of the Law No.38/2001 dealing with the Slovene minority living in Italy. This law remains largely unapplied until now.

The Committee has twenty members, both of Slovene and Italian nationality, nominated by the Council of Ministers, on the advice of the Italian Minister for Relations with the Regional Governments Enrico La Loggia. Similar bodies were previously created for the German and French minorities living in Italy.

According to one of the members, Mr. Jevnikar, this body should have been nominated by September 23, 2001 so people have great expectations. However, the reality is different because the Committee does not have many real or autonomous competences.

The Slovene Parithetic Committee was already criticized because among its members there are no official representatives of the state or the regional administration, since the latter have only been nominated on ideological and political grounds. The previous Italian government intended the Committee to represent a “confrontation point” between the requests of the Slovene minority and the possibilities allowed by the present legislation. Then the government was changed so currently this body reflects a political balance and not an expert confrontation between Slovenes and Italians.

Some members see the working regulations of the body as “boycott mechanisms.” One of them is the rule that the meetings of the Committee are valid only if at least 11 members are present and among them at least 5 members of one (either Slovene or Italian) nationality.

“I see no real political will to apply the protection law and I am most of all worried for the political atmosphere in Trieste, which is not very favorable towards ethnic minorities. I believe it's necessary that the Committee starts to work immediately,” Rudi Pavsic, President of one of the two Slovene umbrella organizations in Italy, and also a member of the Committee commented.

The Committee has set important goals to be achieved in the spirit of the Constitution, real equality and respect of the rights of national minorities. The main task of the next 18 months will be to write the list of municipalities where the law should apply and where some bilingualism should be seen in public.

Source: Eurolang News, http://www.eurolang.net/

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Updated (July 2002)

Existing legal minority protection in Italy has been a controversial issue during the past years, as current experiences show that a legal basis does not automatically mean an immediate application of the law. This is the case of the special protection law for the Slovene minority in Italy, approved in February 2001, because until now only one article has been implemented.

THE OFFICE FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES

The Office for Linguistic Minorities, which in the past raised quite a lot of anxiety among minorities because of its supposedly ill-intentioned checking of the border situation, shows how the attitude towards minorities has changed over the years. In 1969, when the office was established, it was called “the Central Office for the Problems of Border Areas and Ethnic Minorities,” and it acted more like a monitoring body of the State checking minorities, considered by the state as problematic and potentially revolutionary, or at least causing disturbance. Media has in the past raised many questions concerning the secret monitoring of minorities, which was seen as a sign of a repressive attitude towards minorities by the State.

According to the Director of the office, Giuseppe Mario Scalia, the situation has changed and currently the office acts more like a study center, carrying out various research and monitoring projects (i.e. on the existing legal protection for minorities, the attitude of the Church towards minorities etc.). It lists minorities' associations in Italy, as well as promotes the spreading of basic information material on minorities in Italian schools.

Apart from its research function, it also lobbies for the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Italy signed the Charter in June 2000, but so far has not ratified this document.

For a country with 12 recognized autochthonous ethnic minorities, the capacity of the Office is far too small. The problem is that there is no central public body responsible for the overall legal picture of minorities in Italy. Minorities lack implementation of existing legal measures in various matters, such as the right to use their languages when dealing with public administration, media, education, etc.

The problem is that the minority situation is far too much linked with the political atmosphere in the country.

Source: http://www.eurolang.net/, Eurolang, Trieste, June 18, 2002 by Vida Valencic

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Updated (December 2002)

LADIN

• BULSAN AND TRENT

Bulsan (Badia) and Trent were located in Southern Tyrol, and remained under Austrian rule until World War I. A period of forced “Italianization” and the Fascist regime with “Germanization” followed, but finally, after World War II, Southern Tyrol was granted a significant degree of autonomy and minority language protection.

The legal administrative self-rule of the region was established in the Statute of Autonomy of South Tyrol-Trentino (1948), in which the Ladins were explicitly mentioned (Article 87). But just after 1972 the cultural rights and teaching rights of the Ladins were guaranteed in the revised Autonomous Statute of the Region.

Nowadays South Tyrol only refers to the province of Bulsan, with the two Ladin valleys Val Badia and Gherdëina. The province of Bulsan is mostly German speaking, although Italian dominates in the large towns. The bilingual status of the province of Bulsan is quite stable now. It is notable; however, that the protection of Ladin is merely a side effect of the high degree of protection granted to the German minority (a “majority” in fact within the province).

The Statute of 1972 was also intended to apply to Trent, but its application has been delayed. The localization of Fascia in the Italian speaking region and its change to the touristic area triggered the Italianization process in the valley. Ladin teaching has been implemented only since 1997.

BULSAN – EDUCATION

Ladin was taught to some extent after the Autonomous Statute of 1948 has been adopted. With the revised statute, the teaching of Ladin obtained a secure legal basis and recognition, not only as a school subject in all nursery, elementary and secondary schools in the Ladin area, but also as a teaching instrument. Subsequent decrees were adopted to make teaching in Ladin as a medium of instruction a legally sanctioned option.

In 2000, the regulations prescribed that each class at primary school level must have twelve hours in the Italian language, twelve hours in the German language and two hours in Ladin per week. The same rules exist for secondary schooling. Religion is taught in all three languages.

The use of the Ladin language is permitted in official situations and documents.

TRENT – EDUCATION

In contrast to Bulsan, in Trent bilingual education is a pedagogical rather than a political issue. In 1994, a Ladin branch of the provincial educational authority was created and in 1995, the Provincial Act introducing Ladin in grades 1 to 8 (shortly to be extended to grade 10) was accepted by the Italian State, together with a new Ladin curriculum.

• BELUM

The Ladin valleys of Fodom and Cortina de Anpezo are near Belum in the region of Venice, which became a part of the Italian Kingdom in 1866. The province has only recently been granted a legal means of protecting for the Ladins (1999).

BELUM – EDUCATION

The teaching is still on a voluntary basis.

MAIN OFFICIAL TEXTS REGULATING TEACHING OF LADIN

• NATIONAL REGULATIONS

Constitutional Law No. 5, dated February 26, 1948

Special statute for the Trentino-Alto Adige region

Decree by the President of the Republic No. 670, dated August 31, 1972

• SPECIAL STATUTE FOR THE TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE REGION

Law No. 482, dated December 15, 1999 (Rules in the matter of the safeguarding of historical linguistic minorities; regulates sources in school and cultural affairs for the Ladin valleys in the Province of Bulsan/Bolzano)

1948 Ministerial Decree No. 5145/76, dated August 27, 1948 (Intends to guarantee, without delay, the execution of Article 87 of Constitutional Law No. 5, dated February 26, 1948 regarding teaching of Ladin in primary schools where it is spoken, also considering the legitimate desire of the Ladin group to have a type of primary school where pupils, apart from their mother tongue, can also learn the Italian and German language)

1958 Provincial Law No. 7, dated October 29, 1958 (Cultural councils financed by the province for cultural activities)

Judgment of the Constitutional Court dated April 21, 1976

Provincial Law No. 27, dated July 31, 1976 (Foundation of the Ladin Cultural Institute)

1981 Decree by the President of the Republic No. 89, dated February 10

1983 Rules for the implementation of the special statute of the Trentino-Alto Adige region in school regulation affairs in the Province of Bulsan. Approval of the consolidated act of the decrees by the President of the Republic No. 116, dated January 20, 1973 and No. 761 dated December 4, 1981.

Provincial Law No. 48, dated December 6, 1983 (Programs, school timetables and examination tests for junior secondary schools in the Province of Bolzano/Bulsan)

Provincial Law No. 13, dated June 30, 1987 (Educational research, cultural and professional updating, pedagogical experience, creation of relevant institutes)

Decree by the President of the Republic No. 574, dated July 15, 1988 (Rules for the implementation of the special statute of the Trentino – Alto Adige Region in matters of the use of the German and Ladin languages in relations of the citizens in public administration and in judicial proceedings)

Provincial Law No. 64, dated December 30, 1988 (Educational programs for primary schools of the Ladin communities)

Decree by the President of the Provincial Council No. 1269, dated December 12, 1990 (Statute of the Provincial Pedagogical Institute of Research, Experimentation and Educational Updating for the Ladin linguistic group)

Provincial Law No. 29, dated July 10, 1992 (Regulations and supplements to the Provincial Law No. 48, dated December 6, 1983 and to the Provincial Law No. 13, dated August 17, 1979)

1996 Educational guidelines for Ladin schools

Provincial Law No. 24, dated December 12, 1996 (Provincial School Board)

Provincial Law No. 25, dated December 7, 1993 (Regulations for primary schools in the Alto Adige region)

Provincial Law No. 13, dated June 1, 1995 (Introduction of curricular teaching of Ladin in senior secondary and artistic secondary schools in Ladin communities)

Resolution of the Provincial Council No. 4611, dated September 15, 1997 (Approval of the statute of the Provincial Museum of Ladin Culture and History of the Alto Adige Region)

Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, the Ladin Language in Education in Italy

http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_ladin_in_italy.htm

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Updated (January 2003)

GERMAN

On September 10, 1919, the Tyrol south of the Brenner Pass was ceded to Italy in the Treaty of Saint-Germain. The peace treaty did not include any injunctions for the protection of the German minority. However, on December 1, 1919, King Victor Emanuel guaranteed preservation of local institutions and self-governance for the new provinces. Nonetheless, pre-fascist Italy granted no autonomous rights to the South Tyroleans.

On October 28, 1922, Benito Mussolini's fascists began their march on Rome. The fascists emblazoned the annihilation of the German minority on their banners from the very start. From November 1922 onwards, the fascist prefects, making it punishable by law, forbade the teaching of German in schools. All German teachers were relieved of their duties or were moved to the Italian provinces. Teachers who were caught teaching German were imprisoned and afterwards banished to remote areas of southern Italy. All German officials were fired, replaced by a policy of “Italians only.”

In 1923, all place names were italianized and the name “Tyrol” was forbidden. All German economic associations (workers' and farmers' unions) and all German clubs and societies (alpine, gymnastic, etc.) were dissolved and their property was confiscated. All public announcements, signposts, signs and shop names had to be in Italian. Everything German was banished from public life. In 1923, the Italian school system was reorganized and in 1925, Italian was decreed to be the only official language.

When the public schools were italianized, South Tyrolean Germans responded by calling for private schools and home education. This was the beginning of the “catacomb schools.” Starting from 1925, these schools underwent a systematic and thorough reorganization. According to the leader of the South Tyrol catacomb schools, every house, every cottage had to become a school, every room had to be a school room where children could take instruction in their mother tongue. The illegal catacomb schools prepared the way for the reconstruction of South Tyrol schools after the Second World War.

After the Berlin Agreement of June 23, 1939 between Hitler and Mussolini concerning the resettlement of the South Tyrol Germans, German education underwent an unintended revival. Official German-language courses for children whose parents opted to immigrate to Germany were at the center of this revival. During the German occupation (from 1943 to 1945) German-language courses developed into the Deutsche Schule Südtirol [South Tyrol German School].

On September 5, 1946, the Paris Agreement between Austria and Italy guaranteed the German-speaking inhabitants of a new province of Bozen/Bolzano full equality of rights in relation to Italian-speaking inhabitants. The German speaking citizens were granted not only elementary and intermediate school instruction in German but also equal use of German and Italian in public offices and official documents as well as in place names.

The first Autonomy Statute of 1948 held to the principle that Italian would remain the official language in the Trentino-South Tyrol region.

The new Autonomy Statute of January 20, 1972 stipulated that: “In the region, the German language is given parity with the Italian language which is the official language of the State” (Article 99). Thus, in South Tyrol, German was granted an official status equal to that of the official state language.

EDUCATION

After World War II, German primary education in South Tyrol had to be rebuilt from the ground. Through Decree No. 555 of 1947, it was the State that regulated organization of the elementary education for the German-speaking minority. However, it took almost three decades before all teaching posts could be filled with trained teachers. The comprehensive intermediate schools (Einheitsmittelschule) were introduced in 1962 and applied universally throughout Italy.

With the 1972 Autonomy Statute, the authorities in Rome placed responsibility for the education of all three ethnic groups in South Tyrol to the hands of the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano. The State was responsible for the employment rights and the teachers' payment. By this means, South Tyrolean schools lost, at least in part, their dependence on Italian school legislation and regulations. Additionally, provincial school boards were established in 1975.

Provincial Law No. 48/1983 reformed and established intermediate school curricula and specified the subjects. Several subjects like Geography or History were adapted to suit the situation in South Tyrol.

Provincial Law No. 64/1988 introduced a South Tyrol primary school curriculum that resulted in a new educational form based on reform-minded educational principles. The new primary school regulations (Provincial Law No. 25/ 1993) attempted to fulfill these educational principles by changing the way education was organized.

On January 1, 1996, to support dynamic South Tyrolean autonomy, the jurisdiction of state officials over the areas of employment rights and teachers' salaries was transferred to the Autonomous Province. An agreement with the Ministry of Education was no longer necessary with respect to the development of schools and teaching positions. Now provincial laws can introduce additional subjects, alter the subjects and the number of lessons taught, as well as the curricula and exams, in order to suit individual language groups.

MAIN LEGAL TEXTS REGULATING GERMAN TEACHING

First Autonomy Statute

Paris Agreement of September 5, 1946

Legislative Decree No. 555 of May 16, 1947, regarding mother tongue instructions in primary schools

Law No. 1859 of December 31, 1962, regarding intermediate schools

Second Autonomy Statute

Decree of the President of the Republic No. 670 of August 31, 1972

Curricula, course schedules and organization of tests for the intermediate schools in the Province of Bozen/Bolzano embodied in the Provincial Law No. 48 of December 6, 1983

Curriculum for the primary schools of the Province of Bozen/Bolzano (with German as a language of instruction), Provincial Law No. 64 of December 30, 1988

Directions for the position of an educator in the kindergartens of South Tyrol, Decree of the Provincial Head of Government No. 641 of August 23, 1989

Reorganization of the leadership structure of the South Tyrolean provincial administration in the Provincial Law No. 10 of April 23, 1992,

Rules for vocational training in the Provincial Law No. 40 of November 12, 1992

Provincial law No. 25 of December 7, 1993, regarding the rules for South Tyrolean primary schools

Curricula for German and Italian instructions for the “Biennium” (a two-year program) in German high schools, Provincial Law No. 5 of August 9, 1994

Legislative Decree No. 297 of April 16, 1994, (standard text for the school sector)

Legislative Decree No. 434 of July 24, 1996, regarding the procedures for implementing the Autonomy Statute (school rules in the province of Bozen/Bolzano)

Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, the German Language in Education in South Tyrol (Italy)

http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_german_in_italy.htm

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Updated (February 2003)

NEW CONTRACT OF SERVICE WITH “RAI” WELCOMED BY ITALIAN MINORITIES

In the last few weeks, concerns have been voiced about a draft version of the Contract of Service between the Italian state and the public broadcasting society RAI. The first draft referred only generally and ambiguously to minority languages and it contained no explanation on how to use the recognized languages in broadcasting. Thus this draft was clearly opposed to what has been provided by the Law on the Protection of Historic Linguistic Minorities (Law 482/1999) and its implementing regulations.

To protest against the contract, a minority delegation met with the President of the Parliamentary Committee. Based on the meeting the Committee decided to accept contents of a minority representatives' proposal and amended the draft version of the contract with the following: “RAI has to introduce into the schedule of both the third TV channel and the satellite channel “RAINEWS 24” at least an hour of broadcasting in minority languages. These programs have to be produced by the regional RAI centers in the areas inhabited by linguistic minorities.”

Finally, at the end of the month (January), a new triennial Contract of Service containing exact references to the protection of minority languages has been signed.

Article 12 of the Contract, based on Law 482 and its implementing regulations, states that RAI has to ensure that its broadcasting is respectful to the rights of linguistic minorities in the areas where they live. The public broadcaster also has to adopt and support initiatives for promotion of the minority languages in partnership with regional and local institutions.

In addition, the Contract of Service declares that RAI has to promote signing of the agreements with regional and local powers, which are to support funding of programs in the recognized minority languages and their inclusion in radio and regional TV schedules.

Minority associations and local administrations concerned with the protection of minority languages have welcomed signature of the contract. However, at present, they wait to be rightly involved in the committee promised by the Contract. This committee launches the regional RAI centers working with the different minority languages and estimates the degree of protection that has to be given to every single minority.

The members of this committee are nominated by RAI and the Ministry of Telecommunications within 90 days after the Contract itself has entered into force.

Source: Eurolang News, Turin, January 9, 22 and 27, 2003, by Marco Stolfo, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4027, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4053, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4060

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Updated (June 2004)

A NEW ITALIAN BROADCASTING LAW IGNORES MOST LANGUAGE MINORITIES

After the Parliament has approved a law reorganizing the broadcasting system that contradicts the 1999 Law on the Protection of Language Minorities, the media and language rights are at the center of controversy in Italy. Only some minority groups are quoted in this act and furthermore, no specific norms are included there to secure an access of all thirteen communities living in the peninsula to the media.

The new law was strongly criticized by the opposition parties because it fails to solve Silvio Berlusconi's “media problem”. The Prime Minister owns three most important private TV channels and, as a chief of the Government, controls also three channels of Rai, the public broadcasting company.

According to the new law, the public service guarantees TV and radio programs only to the German community of South Tyrol, to the Ladins living in the same area, the French community of Val D'Aosta and the Slovene minority living along the north eastern border. The other ethnic and linguistic groups are guaranteed only “access to programs”, what does not explain much.

A TV journalist Ivana Suhadolc, a representative of the Confederation of Language Minorities in Italy (Confemili), does not understand why only some minorities are mentioned in the law. According to her, this law goes back to the past, when just those four communities were guaranteed protection; however, nowadays all thirteen groups should be treated equally. Since the Law for the Protection of Minority Languages contains a clear statement on the issue of public media, the new law may not necessarily be an obstacle to minority groups' access to the public services.

Source: Eurolang News, Udine, May 24, 2004, Max Mauro, www.eurolang.net

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Updated (July 2004)

A FRIULAN TEACHING GUIDE HIGHLIGHTS PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTING OF THE LANGUAGE LAW

According to Adriano Ceschia, a member of the Observatory for the Friulan Language and Culture, even after two years since the Law for the Protection of Minority Languages came into force, it has still remained unimplemented in the schools of Friul/Friuli. Thus starting in the next academic year, a short guide to help teachers of Friulan will be distributed to all schools of the region.

Published by the Observatory, a regional body composed of nine experts on linguistics, education, and culture, the guide will encourage the implementation of Law 482 related to minority-language protection. So far many schools have carried out projects on bilingualism and plurilingualism; however, according to the Observatory, none of them has really fulfilled the aim of the law, which is to teach the language.

According to the law, all primary schools existing in a bilingual area should provide activities in Friulan. One of the problems why schools have not fulfilled this requirement is the lack of qualified teachers. Friulan-language teachers are mainly volunteers with some vocational training on language and culture. In order to guarantee the progress in a language-learning process, professional teachers are needed.

Ultimately the Observatory suggests that the regional government should approve a law that coordinates all the different norms regarding the promotion of Friulan and the other minority languages spoken in the region. The regional government should also provide grants for teacher training.

Source: Eurolang News, Udine, July 8, 2004, by Max Mauro, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4678

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Updated (March 2005)

LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES IGNORED IN A NEW ITALIAN FUNDAMENTAL LAW

According to the 482 Committee, which gathers the most important cultural associations of Friûl (Friuli), a new Fundamental Law, approved by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region in February 2005, does not give minority groups the attention they would deserve and even supports their discrimination. However, the Regional Council of Friuli-Venezia Giulia has already approved the Act.

The Council started to work on rewriting the Fundamental Law in April 2004¹. Experts from different language communities living in the region, Friulans, Slovenes and Germans, were invited to contribute to the text. The then President of the Council, Alessandro Tesini, promised that linguistic rights would be high on the agenda. He said that the new law had to recognize linguistic communities and linguistic and cultural pluralism of the region. However, these promises have not been followed by any concrete measures when not even a single article of the law is dedicated to linguistic rights of ethnic minorities.

The only reference to language is the sentence that reads as follows: "This Region recognizes and protects the members of the Slovene national minority and promotes the Friulan, Slovene and German languages". The Committee believes that this is a step backwards both in terms of the Italian Constitution and the Laws 482 and 38, which protect the Slovene community and the Italian linguistic minorities in general. The decision not to mention the Friulan and German speakers, but only their languages, is perceived as an offence to dignity of these people.

Since the Friulan associations think that the work of the Regional Council in the field of linguistic rights is a total failure, they are going to contact the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities that recently visited Italy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The new Fundamental Act will be examined by Italian Parliament before becoming the law. The 482 Committee members as well as many citizens of Friûl (Friuli) and Triest hope that the text of the Act will be changed.

Source: Eurolang News, Udine, February 25, 2005, by Max Mauro, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4947

1. The law was promulgated in 1963.

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Updated (February 2006)

A DRAFT BILL PROPOSES MAKING FRIULAN COMPULSORY

A few councilors of Friulan-speaking areas, members of the Northern League party, have drafted a regional bill for the teaching of the Friulan language in schools. Friulan is one of the twelve languages recognized and protected by the Act 482/1999. This Act established the restricted introduction of the language in the educational system, local government, and other public institutions. However, the regulations for the application of the Act did not come into force until 2001 and six years after its approval the law has not been entirely implemented.

The promoters of the proposal believe that the situation of the teaching of Friulan in schools will improve. Their aim is to provide the language with the appropriate administrative arrangements, to increase the number of skilled teaching staff and to enter a period of consolidation throughout the Friulan territory. To do so, the proposal foresees going a step further and making Friulan a compulsory subject, because at present it could be taught at schools only with parents' permission. Moreover, they want other subjects to be taught in Friulan instead of learning the language on a one-hour a week basis. The proposal establishes the setting up of a permanent commission in charge of organizing appropriate training for language staff and well-designed courses, and sets out a plan to improve the funding to implement the law.

Source: Mercator News, January 2006, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

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Updated (May 2006)

SARDINIAN ACHIEVES OFFICIAL STATUS

The Sardinian government acknowledged Sardinian as a co-official language together with Italian on 18 April 2006. This decision is a result of a long process started in September 2005 when the Linguistic Commission established by the Regional Council initiated work on determining what dialect to select among the different varieties of Sardinian and at the same time to ensure that a new standard is comprehensible to everybody.

The difficulty in identifying a "common Sardinian language" has been the main obstacle for the language to achieve an official status. Finally, the Commission decided to adopt a variety of the language spoken in the Midland region with respect to other Sardinian dialects. Although these linguistic norms are now of an experimental nature, they allow the Regional Government to use Sardinian for its official written acts. However, this decision would not modify the legal and exclusive value of the official decrees written in Italian, the Commission stated.

In the meantime, in order to continue with the standardization process, the Regional Council launched 'Ufitziu de sa Limba Sarda', a regional language bureau.

Source: Eurolang News, April 30, 2006 by Davyth Hicks http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2604&Itemid=1&lang=en

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Updated (October 2006)

THE REGIONAL ASSEMBLY IS TO DISCUSS THE BILL ON PROTECTION OF THE VENETIAN LANGUAGE

Italy's Minorities Act 482/99 recognizes only 12 linguistic minorities (French, Occitan, Franco-provençal, Catalan, Albanian, German, Friulian, Ladin, Slovenian, Sardinian, Greek and Croatian). However, several independent linguistic varieties or languages developed directly from Latin are still considered as "dialects". This is the case of Venetian and Piedmontese. Intelligibility between them and Italian is quite low, and both enjoyed processes of literary standardization mainly during the 18th century.

Like in Piedmont, the Veneto Region has approved several laws over the years in respect of its linguistic heritage.

A first law was passed in 1974 (Protection of the Historical, Linguistic and Cultural Heritage of Veneto Act), followed five years later by Regional Act 38/1979 on Interventions on the Part of the Region for the Knowledge of the Local Cultures and Civilizations of Veneto, both of which were later revoked.

In 1984, the Interventions of the Region for the Development and the Promotion of Cultural Activities Act was approved, followed three years later by Regional Act 8/1987.

In 1990, the Regional Natural Park of Lessinia was finally established (Regional Law 12 of 1990). The aim of this institution was to protect not only the natural environment, but also the traditional cultures present in it. Finally in 1994 a comprehensive law was passed (Regional Act 73 on the Promotion of Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities of Veneto), later modified by Act 3/1998, which protects and promotes German, Ladin, Friulian and other ethnic and linguistic communities present in the region.

Recently, the Regional Assembly of Veneto, with headquarters in Venice, has started the discussion of a bill on the Protection, Revaluation and Promotion of the Venetian Language and Cultural Heritage, which aims at granting Venetian a greater recognition. The wording of the proposed document is as follows:

Article 1

Objectives

1. The Veneto Region, exercising articles 2 and 4 of its Statute, aiming to favor the protection and valorization of the Venet (Venetian) linguistic heritage, an essential component of its cultural, social, historical and civic identity, with this law it dictates the fundamental principles toward the realization of such policy.

Article 2

Protection of the Venet (Venetian) Language

1. Venet (Venetian) is historically the language of the Venet (Venetian) people.

2. The Veneto Region considers the protection, valuation and the promotion of the Venet (Venetian) cultural and linguistic heritage a central matter for the development of regional autonomy.

Article 3

European context

1. The Veneto Region, recognizing that the protection and promotion of various local or minority languages represent an important contribution to the building of Europe founded on principles of democracy and respect of cultural diversity, maintains and develops the traditions present in its territory.

2. Within the limits of the statute's competence, the Region considers the protection and promotion of the languages traditionally spoken in its territory as a precise obligation towards the community of European people.

Article 4

Support for the principles of the European Charter

1. Given the jurisdiction of the State in accordance with international treaties, the Region, exercising its primary competence on cultural matters, finds inspiration for this act in the following principles stated in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages:

   1. Regional or minority languages constitute a cultural treasure;

   2. A determined action of promotion of regional languages is necessary for the goal of preserving them;

   3. It is imperative to facilitate and encourage the written and spoken aspects of regional languages with its diverse expressions present in social life;

   4. It is a must to promote studies and researches on regional languages;

   5. Finally, it should be made available, within the regional competences, adequate means and methods for the teaching and the study of regional languages in all the appropriate levels.

Article 5

Holiday of the Venet (Venetian) people

1. With the purpose of favoring the knowledge of Venet (Venetian) history, to make the most of this original linguistic heritage, to show its cultural values, customs and public spirit, its roots and prospective, as well as to adequately make known the Statute and the Regional symbols, the "Holiday of the Venet (Venetian) People" is established. This holiday occurs on April 25th, the day of Saint Mark (the protector of Venice).

2. The regional council establishes annually the required actions needed to fulfill and show the way to such goals, in particular among the younger generations and in coordination with the competent State facilities in schools of all levels.

Article 6

Knowledge and diffusion of the Venet (Venetian) linguistic heritage

1. The Region promotes:

   1. Teaching and learning;

   2. Promotion throughout the media (newspapers, radio, television, internet);

   3. Artistic expression;

   4. Publishing and circulation of books and publications;

   5. Organizing of specific sections in public libraries;

   6. Research;

   7. Organizing activities and meetings, aiming at promoting the use and knowledge of the original Venet (Venetian) linguistic heritage.

2. The Region promotes, in addition, in coordination with public and private networks the development of cultural and informative programs on the Venet (Venetian) language.

3. The townships, the mountain communities, the associations that bring forward programs or initiatives aiming towards such objectives may present a request for financing according to the process described in Article 10.

Article 7

Promotion of research

1. The Region promotes, also in collaboration with the universities in Veneto and with other qualified departments and public and private cultural centers, the scientific research on the original linguistic heritage of Veneto, and favors the creation of research institutes committed to the research and valuation of the cultural heritage of the individual linguistic communities.

2. With this goal the regional council deliberates, based on proposal made by entities described in comma 1 and consulted the competent regional commission, yearly and multi-yearly programs of research and establishes scholarships and annual prizes for university thesis that regard the history, the culture and the Venet (Venetian) linguistic historical heritage.

Article 8

Primary activities

1. The Veneto Region:

   1. Promotes in coordination with the Centri Servizi Amministrativi (CSA), in regard to school teaching, courses for teachers of all levels, with the objective to provide an effective knowledge of the Venet (Venetian) linguistic and cultural heritage; this courses are to be financed by the region;

   2. Promotes in coordination with the Centri Servizi Amministrativi (CSA), optional courses on history, culture and Venet (Venetian) language; such courses are to be financed by the Region for distinct scholastic levels;

   3. Collects the documentation produced during researches described in Article 7 or received according to the conformities described in Article 13 and deposits them in the library of the regional council promoting the publication and diffusion.

2. The Region organizes an annual prize for written works in Venet (Venetian).

3. The Region organizes also, in coordination and collaboration with the competent institutions of the State, a contest in schools of all levels on the original Venet (Venetian) linguistic heritage.

Article 9

Toponomy

1. The Region promotes and supports studies on the Toponomy according to the process described in Article 7 and contributes to the initiatives promoted by the townships and their organizations, according to the process described in Article 13.

2. The demands for contributions of the townships and their organizations for an eventual restoration of the original toponomy, linked to the original languages of Veneto, are submitted for a mandatory consultation with a Regional Commission of Experts, designated by the Regional Counselor for Culture, which is comprised of:

   1. A university expert of linguistics

   2. A university expert on local geography

   3. a.An expert on regional history, designated by the Deputazione Venete di Storia e Patria;

   4. a.A representative of the Sovraintendenza ai Beni Ambientali ed Architettonici del Veneto.

Article 10

Official writing of the Venet (Venetian) language

1. In order to reach the objectives of Article 1, the Region, through a Commission of experts, will determine the official writing style and will promote the knowledge and use.

2. Within one hundred and twenty days from the establishment of this current law, the President of the Regional Council, will hear a scientific commission, as described in comma 3, and will adopt with proper decree the official writing rules and style.

3. With this objective, within thirty days from the establishment of this current law, the President of the Council, will nominate with proper decree a scientific commission for the official writing style of the Venet (Venetian) language, comprised of:

   1. Three professors, with specific knowledge, representing the universities of Veneto;

   2. Three authors of poems in the Venet language and a representative of magazine or newspaper specialized in such matter.

4. The commission's head office at the Regional Council can collaborate with university departments, public and private research centers, as well as external experts according to the requirements provided by law.

5. The responsibility of the commission’s secretary is to provide the appropriate support with personnel made available by the Regional Council.

With the objective to spread the chosen writing style, the region will be in charge of the publication and the transmission of the scientific documents prepared by such commission

Article 11

Use of the official Venet (Venetian) writing style

1. The Region, the local townships and their respective organizations will support courses and schools in which the official writing is taught and the publication of scholastic material, or of scholastic use, that uses such writing rules.

2. The publication and the documents in the Venet (Venetian) language of the region, of the local townships and of the respective organizations, the updating of the toponomy mentioned in Article 9, are to be written in the official writing style.

Article 12

Regional information

1. The region is committed to reserve its own publications to periodicals with general information with space open to the collaboration of qualified institutes, made for presenting the original Venet (Venetian) linguistic heritage with the objective of promoting its use and knowledge.

Article 13

Procedures

1. The subjects discussed in Article 7 that plan to use such law will present a request by 30 September each year to the President of the Region.

2. The requests, signed by the legal representative of the applicant body, are to be prepared as follows:

   1. Program of activities for which the financing is required;

   2. Expected expenses;

   3. Eventual discussion on the cultural activities previously undertaken on such matter.

3. The recipients of such financing must present, within a year from the date of the funding, documentation of the activity undertaken as approved by the financing.

4. In case of unachieved goals of such requirements, the Regional Council, after careful review, may revoke the assigned funding.

Article 14

Financing rules

1. To the responsibilities derived from the application of this law 250 000 Euro are assigned to a fund named "Initiatives for the Protection, Valuation and Promotion of the Venet (Venetian) Language".

Source: Mercator News, September 2006 and Mercator Legislation, Bulletin No.65, I Quarter, 2006 http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

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Updated (January 2007)

A POPULAR INICIATIVE BILL FOR "THE SICILIAN LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND MEDIA" HAS BEEN POSTPONED

The Promotion Committee for a Popular Initiative Bill entitled "Sicilian Language, Culture and Media" has postponed the collection of signatures in its support because the Regional Commission in charge of validating the signatures has not yet been established. Nevertheless, the campaign to support the bill's Promotion Committee remains open as it has been extremely successful and has overcome the most optimistic predictions.

Although Sicily has had special autonomy statute for over sixty years, which guarantees, for instance, exclusive powers on primary education; the statute makes no explicit mention to language demands but it does not rule them out either. The bill's objectives are not purely linguistic in nature, as it also aims at promoting literary, cultural and wider social aspects of Sicily.

The proposed Bill focuses on three main issues:

1. The introduction of the study of Sicilian language, culture and society in all schools at all educational levels

2. The introduction of bilingualism in legislation, public administration and signage; and

3. The creation of a regional public TV and radio service with a number of programs broadcast in the Sicilian language.

Source: Mercator News, December 2006

http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

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Updated (December 2007)

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR MINORITY LANGUAGES HAS BEEN CUT

Article 17 of the Italian draft Budget Law for 2008, which provide for the allocation of resources in favor of Italian linguistic minorities, was deleted from the final draft of the law, as it presented “a content which was not directly aimed at supporting or revitalizing the economy”¹.

Nevertheless, the content of Article 17 has been presented again as a draft bill ‘Support for the Slovene minority, other linguistic and historical minorities and the bordering regions with special status’ and assigned to an examination of the Standing Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the Senate.

Source: Eurolang News, December 5, 2007 by Valeria Cardi http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2999&Itemid=1&lang=en

A STEP FORWARD TO THE RATIFICATION OF THE ECRML

The Culture Commission of the Italian Parliament's Lower Chamber reviewed a new draft law on the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) and assented to it on 4 December 2007.

Their statement reads: “After an analysis of the draft law on the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the 7th Commission on Culture, Science and Education, given the necessity of safeguarding and promoting languages spoken in the national territory, namely Albanian, Catalan, German, Greek, Slovene, Croat, French, Franco-provençal, Griko, Sardinian, Ladin, Friulan, and Occitan, and, at the same time, given the necessity of promoting and supporting regional dialects such as, among others, Veneto, Neapolitan, Lombard and Sicilian, in compliance with international and European principles, gives its consent to it”.

This draft law was proposed on the Government's initiative on 29 May 2007; the other eight permanent commissions of the Lower Chamber of the Italian Parliament have already accepted it.

Source: Eurolang News, December 12, 2007 by Valeria Cardi http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3002&Itemid=1&lang=en

NEW REGIONAL LAW ON THE PROTECTION OF THE FRIULIAN LANGUAGE

The Regional Government of Friuli-Venezia Giulia approved a new law on the protection of the Friulian language on 23 November.

There are only a few important changes in comparison to the former law. The most significant change is that now children in 80 percent of the region will receive automatically at least one hour of the Friulian language weekly, unless parents opt for their children not to learn it.

The new law is inspired by the Welsh Language Act with a huge difference in funding for language policy. The Regional Government will give more support to media in Friulian, translate more public signs and place names, and will allow written and oral communication at the public offices in the Friulian-speaking territory.

Source: Mercator Legislation, Mercator Newsletter No.36, December 2007 http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/newsletter2007/MERCATORnewsletter36.htm#ml2

1. The rules of the Italian Senate provide that when a government presents its budget law in the Senate, the President of the Senate, after hearing the opinion of the Fifth Standing Committee and the opinion of the government, needs to verify, in order to be able to approve the law, whether this contains provisions aimed at changing current rules about national accounting. If that is the case, the President deletes these provisions.

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