BRATISLAVA, February 18, (WEBNOVINY) – Coalition leaders agreed on Friday on the wording of an amendment to the law on minority languages. It should be sent for interdepartmental review on the same day. However, KDH already has objections. The coalition representatives agreed that the quorum for using minority languages should not be cut to 10 percent from the present 20, as MOST-HID had proposed, but should be 15 percent, in line with a compromise suggested by the SDKU-DS. Using the minority language also in the security forces in a territory, where it is allowed to be used in official communication, remains disputed. The Ministry of Defense should take a position on this issue.
According to MOST-HID representatives, the draft is a compromise, which should resolve the use of the minority languages in its complexity which the party accepted. “We will see, how the MPs will perceive the draft,” a MOST-HID representative, who wished to remain anonymous told SITA.
The draft was prepared by the MOST-HID’s Deputy Prime Minister Rudolf Chmel. Among others, the draft proposes to reduce the quorum for use of languages of Slovakia’s national minorities in official communication from the current 20 percent to 10 percent of the respective municipality’s population. Chmel explained that the law should be modified in order to cover also areas where smaller minority communities live. He said that if passed the bill will open space for use of German, Roma and Ruthenian languages. Chmel said that the proposed amendment protects smaller national minorities. “We should care about squeezing the quorum if we are real democrats. Ten percent is the limit when the minority gets assimilated,“ he argued.
SITA