Spain’s Approach to Protecting Minority and Regional Languages is Well-Developed but Requires Improvement Says Minority Rights Monitoring Body
Recently, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages published a report stating that Spain’s system for the protection and promotions of its regional and minority regional languages is to some extent beneficial, but also requires further attention to address existing gaps.
The Spanish Constitution and the Statues of Autonomy lay out the general framework for protecting such languages, yet there are countless ongoing challenges in the fields of state administration, justice, the provision of public services, and transfrontier exchanges. The full implementation of the Charter’s provisions in such field continues to be unsatisfactory, specifically in ensuring the right of citizens to use their regional or minority languages in areas including but not limited to healthcare services or communication with state institutions.
Many local and regional administrations necessitate knowledge of such languages among civil servants, but the accessibility of staff with language proficiency in state administration is extremely low. The report also highlights that digitalisation of public services should not diminish the use of regional or minority languages. More information about the protection of regional and minority languages in Spain can be found at the website of the Council of Europe.
