Research Programs Legal Defense About Us Donate Contact Us USEnglish.org
U.S. English Foundation Research

SLOVAKIA

Legislation

Chronology of Minority Language Rights

Top of page

DATEEVENT
January 1, 1996"Law on the State Language" passed by the Meèiar Government
  Strict use of Slovak

No right to use minority languages

Slovak is the exclusive official language of the Slovak Republic

Previous law that had guaranteed ethnic minorities the use of their language in official and unofficial contacts was canceled.

1996-1997European Union demands restoration of ethnic minority language rights as a prerequisite for entry into EU. In part because of this, Slovakia is excluded from first phase of EU expansion.
Fall 1997Slovak Constitutional Court rules 1996 law unconstitutional.
 Slovak Constitution: Article 6: "The use of other languages than the state language in official contacts is guaranteed by law"

Article 34: "Members of national minorities have the right to use their languages in official state contacts."

1997-1998Meèiar makes no movement on his unconstitutional law
June 17, 1999Meèiar's HZDS Party threatens to call a referendum on language laws and privatization
1st week of July 1999Slovak Parliament debates 2 versions of new law
July 6, 1999Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) version defeated
July 11, 1999"Law on the Use of Minority Languages" passes 70 to 18
Research
 Issues
 Publications
 Many Languages
 Official Language Research
Foundation Newsletters
Looking for the most current happenings at the Foundation? Read all about our exciting news, most recent developments and latest stories here. You can also access a "Free English Language Learning Resources on the Internet" brochure here.
Learn English for FREE
US English Foundation is excited to announce a new partnership with Mingoville, a site for learning English on the web! Create an account with MingoVille for Free!
© 2012, U.S. English, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Any citation of the material contained in this website must credit U.S.ENGLISH.
No portion of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any way without the express permission of U.S.ENGLISH.
Copyright violations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.