Universal Periodic Review

Increase staff with language skills in the recognised minority languages public authorities

Proponent:

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Dec 31, 2024):

In Austria, there is growing recognition and support for minority languages such as Burgenland Croatian, Slovene, Romani and Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS). These languages are protected by the Ethnic Groups Act and the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, with bilingual place names even being used in certain regions (e.g. Burgenland). Nevertheless, there are still challenges, for example in the nationwide application of these rights and their implementation in the administration. With regard to linguistic diversity and interpreting services, organisations such as the Language Rights Network are campaigning for more staff with language skills in these minority languages to be employed by public authorities in order to ensure barrier-free communication. In particular, they also emphasise the need to provide interpreters for public services in order to facilitate integration and access to state services for non-German-speaking citizens. These developments are part of a broader discussion around multilingual rights and promoting the integration of minority groups, with the recognition of new social and linguistic groups also becoming increasingly relevant.