FCNM: Two opinions of the Advisory Committee published
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 10:34:46 +0300 (EEST)
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Subject: FCNM: Two opinions of the Advisory Committee published
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Nicola Markes-Goerlach
<[email protected]>
FCNM: Two opinions of the Advisory Committee published
Please find herewith a recent press release concerning Publication of
the first opinions of the Advisory Committee and the comments by the
States concerned
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/minorities/news/2001%20juillet/news38.htm
Publication of the first opinions of the Advisory Committee and the
comments by the States concerned
STRASBOURG 06.07.2001 - Two opinions of the Advisory Committee of the
Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of
National Minorities on measures taken in this field by Slovakia and
Finland have been made public at the countries' request. This is the
first time that such opinions have been made public.
The opinions assess, from the legal standpoint, how well the measures
taken by Finland and Slovakia meet the Framework Convention's
requirements.
The opinion on Slovakia states that appreciable efforts have been made
to support minorities and their cultures and that there has been
significant progress in inter-community relations, in particular
between the Hungarian minority and the rest of the population.
Nonetheless, legal guarantees in respect of a number of the Framework
Convention's clauses needed reinforcing, and in several fields where
guarantees were legally satisfactory, greater efforts were needed to
ensure they were fully put into effect. Discrimination against the
Roma in various fields and their treatment by the police remained
worrying.
The opinion on Finland praises the efforts that have been made on
behalf of Swedish-speaking Finns and the efforts to improve protection
for the Sami. However, it expresses concern at de facto discrimination
against the Roma and observes that protection of the Russian-speaking
population is not totally satisfactory.
The opinions on Slovakia and Finland are available on-line, as well as
the comments by the Slovak Government and by the Finnish Government
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>From the moderator: see
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/minorities/Eng/FrameworkConvention/AdvisoryCommittee/Opinions/Slovakia.htm
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/minorities/Eng/FrameworkConvention/AdvisoryCommittee/Opinions/Finland.htm
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/minorities/Eng/FrameworkConvention/AdvisoryCommittee/Opinions/Slovakia.Comments.htm
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/minorities/Eng/FrameworkConvention/AdvisoryCommittee/Opinions/Finland.Comments.htm
-----------
***
The opinions are drawn up by an Advisory Committee of 18 independent
experts after scrutiny of the reports submitted by states parties to
the Framework Convention and, as appropriate, visits to the countries
concerned. They are then submitted to the Council of Europe Committee
of Ministers, which at present is examining the first series of
opinions. The Committee of Ministers can make recommendations to the
countries concerned and set a time-limit for putting the
recommendations into effect.
The opinions are generally to be made public together with states
parties' written comments and the Committee of Ministers' conclusions
and recommendations. If they wish, however, and without prejudice to
the subsequent Committee of Ministers examination, states parties can
publish the opinions concerning them and their written comments,
before the Committee of Ministers examines the opinions. Slovakia and
Finland are the first countries to do so.
So far the Advisory Committee has adopted 11 opinions, on: Denmark (22
September 2000), Finland (22 September 2000), Hungary (22 September
2000), Slovakia (22 September 2000), San Marino (30 November 2000),
Liechtenstein (30 November 2000), Malta (30 November 2000), Cyprus (6
April 2001), Croatia (6 April 2001), the Czech Republic (6 April 2001)
and Romania (6 April 2001).
Nicola Markes-Goerlach
Council of Europe
Directorate General of Human Rights
Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National
Minorities and of the DH-MIN
F-67075 Strasbourg-Cedex
[email protected]
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/minorities/index.htm
Tel: 00 33 - (0)3 90 21 44 33
Fax: 00 33 - (0)3 90 21 49 18
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