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The Council of Europe published a report on this situation on Monday calling on the Bulgarian state to promote education in minority languages by introducing it at pre-school and secondary level.
Several languages were banned, including Romanian
In the fourth Opinion on Bulgaria, published on Monday, the Consultative Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe notes “with regret” that the teaching of the Romanian language in Vidin has been interrupted. Currently, the document says, the Romanian language is taught only as a foreign language at the Mihai Eminescu Institute in Sofia, allowing intensive study of the Romanian language and where other subjects are taught in this language.
The Advisory Committee welcomes the availability of Romanian language studies in Sofia, but notes that the general education system does not offer Romanian or Romanian language instruction in areas where a significant number of Romanian speakers live, especially in the region of Vidin. The Advisory Committee calls on the Bulgarian authorities, in cooperation with Romanian speakers, to make teaching in or of the Romanian language available in areas traditionally inhabited by this minority.
According to the Council of Europe document, in addition to the right to learn the mother tongue, in Bulgaria there is no comprehensive legal framework that grants specific rights to persons belonging to minorities, in the fields of culture, the media, the use of of the language in the contacts with the authorities, the topographic signage. or political participation.
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a European treaty adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe for the protection and promotion of historical regional and minority languages in Europe. The Charter is the first international treaty that explicitly addresses linguistic diversity and aims to protect it.
The Charter provides guidelines on how minority or regional languages should be protected and promoted on a daily basis. States must provide education, media services such as press, radio and television in these languages, as well as public administration services. The letter promotes the use of minority or regional languages in all aspects of daily life, from street signs to health insurance and relations with public authorities, according to agerpres.ro
