Woelk Italy - Minorities 1

Italy‘s “Minority-Constitution“La Repubblica tutela con apposite norme le minoranze linguistiche.

The Republic takes appropriate measuresto protect linguistic minorities.

1. “Linguistic“ minorities

(ca. 2.8 Mio = 5% of population)

2. Principle of recognition and non-discrimination

• negative protection (anti-discrimination, art. 3 Const.)

• positive protection (specific legislation, art. 6 Const.)

1. Art. 6 Const. as a constitutional principle

2. Who are the minorities? “Linguistic“ groups?

3. Who protects (“la Repubblica“)?

4. Which are the instruments (“con apposite norme“)?

Who are the minorities in Italy?

Constituent Assembly:

• Proposal for ad hoc-provision (art. 108 bis):

“ethnic and linguistic minorities“ in title regarding regional system

• Balance between guarantees for minorities and fundamental rights

• Plenary: fundamental principle – general question

3 principles underlying minority-protection in Italy:

- Identification through linguistic criterion

- Necessity of (legal) recognition

- Territorial protection

Woelk Italy - Minorities 2

Differentiated implementation of art. 6 Const.

Legislator‘s discretion – equality principle

No direct application

• Recognised minorities

- specific international obligations

- domestic provisions of constitutional rank (special statutes)

- Const. Court 28/1982: Slovenes, prov. TS (minimum standard)

• Non-recognised minorities

- Problem of non-implementation

• Only after 50 years: Legge 482/1999minorities recognised, but only potential protection

Woelk Italy - Minorities 3

Recognised and super-protected minoritiesSpecial Statutes – territorial principle

Valle d‘Aosta-Valleé d‘Aoste– General bilinguism, artt. 51, 52 e 54

– Equal standing of languages, art. 38

– Bilingual school

– Unilingual place names

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and autonomous Provinces BZ + TN– Institutions: “legal personality“ of linguistic groups, art. 56 (vote, veto)

– Pubblic employment: quota-system “proporzionale linguistica“, art. 89

– Separated and parallel school systems, art. 19

– Use of language: subjective right and objectivee bilinguism, artt. 99 e 100

– Bilingual place names

– Ladins (municipalities: tri-linguism and scuola ladina paritetica)

– TN: art. 48.3, 102, 15 Ast and L.P. TN 6/2008 (ladini, mocheni e cimbri)

Friuli-Venezia GiuliaArt. 3 ASt and L. 38/2001 (Slovenes)

Woelk Italy - Minorities 4

Recognised minorities – potential protectionL. 482/1999

Protection of historical linguistic minorities– Recognition: (closed) list of recognised groups

– Territorial principle

– Self-identification, art. 3

Rights foreseen (above all, linguistic and cultural rights)– Education and school, art. 4-6

– Public use, art. 8 e 9

– Place names, art. 10 (in addition)

– Media, art. 12

– Cross-border cooperation, art. 19

– Limited public spending

• (Sectoral) State legislation

• Regional legislationproblems with symbolic dimension (“Spanish slippery slope“)

Woelk Italy - Minorities 5

Const. Court Judgment 159/2009F-VG: L.R. 29/2007 “Friulan Language“

• Special situation in Friuli-Venezia Giulia:

promotion of plurilinguistic reality(Italian, Slovene, Friulan, German)

… but contrast between

- protection of Slovene (L.R. 26/2007) and

- promotion of Friulan (L.R. 29/2007)

• Government challenges the regional law

on Friulan language:

1) Territorial application also outside settlement area

2) Public use of Friulan (Italian as mere option)

3) (Monolingual) place names in Friulan

4) Opting-out system for education in Friulan

5) Method: Friulan as language of teaching

6) Promotion also “out of area“

Woelk Italy Minorities 6

Const. Court:1) – 5) un-constitutional

6) constitutional

Const. Court Judgment 159/2009 - IIF-VG: L.R. 29/2007 “Friulan Language“

• Reconstruction of legislative framework

• Italian as official language of the Republicregional languages at max. co-official, never dominant!

• Territorial character of protection

� Interpretation of Constitution (art. 6)is based on Framework Law 482/1999!

• Shared legislative powers, but…

- coordination and recognition: prerogative and function of State!

- regional legislatoronly further implementation,i.e. no exceptions, but only detailed specific implementation possible

• Different: enactment decrees (special autonomies)

Woelk Italy Minorities 7

Only limited room for

regional legislation:

no possibility of

changing the frame-

work established

by L. 482/1999

“norma interposta“

Const. Court Judgment 170/2010Piemonte: L.R. 11/2009 (“Piemontese Language“)

• Value recognised to “Piemontese language“not only for cultural reasons, but also equal standing with the other(recognised) minority languages in Piemont

• Government challenges the regional law

1) “Piemontese“ not recognized in list of art. 2 L. 482/1999 (“solo dialetto“)

2) Provisions of L.R. unconstitutional

• Region‘s defence: cultural, linguistic diversity of regional community

• Protection of linguistic minorities: “not a subject matter“, “cross-cutting value“

• State: recognition + general principles – Regions: detailed implementation

• Court : L. 482/1999 central; no abstract criteria for definition, but…art. 2 (closed list) and art. 3 (procedure for application)

• State as guarantor of “general public interests“: no legislative competition!

• No regional legitimacy for “recognition“ of protected languages!!! Woelk Italy Minorities 8

Non-recognised minoritiesImmigrant Groups

– Only individual guarantees

– Not “historical“ groups

Sinti e Rom– Excluded from L. 482/1999

– Regional legislation, e.g. L.P. TN 12/2009

– International critique (monitoring reports)

Woelk Italy - Minorities 9

Const. Court Judgment 88/2011F-VG: L.R. 5/2010 (“Veneto dialects in F-VG“)

• Based upon implementation of art. 9 Const. (culture)

• Support by Regions for signs in dialect

• No place names or street signs

• “purely related to financing some activities“

Woelk Italy - Minorities 10

Minorities in TrentinoThree groups: ladini, cimbri, mòcheni,

small, but territorially concentrated

(Val di Fassa, Bersntol, Luserna)

• Specific legislation (schools)• Const. Law 2/2001: autonomy statute (in part. Ladins)• Provincial Law n. 6/2008 (19/06/2008): protection and promotion� Territorial principle� Rights (language use, place names, schools)

� Preservation/promotion of languages (media, resources)

� Strong institutional guarantees: – Conference (concertation, planning and opinions) + separate institutions

– Authority (3 independent experts)

– Dept. for promotion of local linguistic minorities (Provincial Admin.)http://www.minoranzelinguistiche.provincia.tn.it/

– 3 separate and autonomous Institutes for Culture

Conclusive Remarks on Italy

General constitutional principle …– Respect and promotion of diversity

– Recognition of the right to be different

Strong differentation in protection - asymmetries:– sources (level of guarantee)

– degree of protection (efficacy)

– “strong“ and “weak(er)“ minorities

Equality principle imposes differentiated treatment– Which is the right balance?

– Which and where are the limits?

Dynamic process – inclusive!!!

Woelk Italy - Minorities 11

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 12

The case of

South Tyrol

Jens Woelk

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 13

Population

City of Bolzano/Bozen

26,62

72,59

0,79

Population 1999

0

200.000

400.000

600.000

462.542 97.232 18.379 34.120

Total Bz Brx Me

Census 2001

69,1526,47

4,37

German (+ 1,16)Italian (- 1,18)

Ladin (+ 0,01)

(in %)

Census 1991

4,36

27,65

67,99

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 14

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 15

20th century - overview

71960-61 SouthTyrol before UN

71961-64 negotiationsCommission of “19”

7 1969 "Package"

71992 Formal

Conflict Settlement

71919 Treaty ofSt. Germain,annexationby Italy

71939

Option

FascistOppression

71946 Gruber-De GasperiAgreement

71957 “Losvon Trient“

71948 FirstAutonomyStatute

Protests, terror

1st Autonomyregional basis

7 1972 2nd Autonomy Statute

Implementation "Dynamic" aut.

2nd Autonomy

1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

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Gruber-De Gasperi Agreement 1946

– equality of rights with Italian citizens

– special safeguard-provisions

– autonomy for German speaking population

– appropriate ethnical proportionsin public service

– education in mother tongue

– equal status of German and Italian languages

•Main Points:

• Result of bilateral negotiations Italy-Austria

• Annex IV of Paris Peace-Treaty with Italy

• International foundation for ST autonomy

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 17

The "Model" and its Different Levels

“Foreign“ Affairs and Relations (kin-State, CBC, EU, …)

Integrationinto the State

AutonomousPowers

Group-relationswithin theautonomous entity

Content:

�Negotiations and specialprocedures (joint commissions)

�Consensus and cooperation

�Mechanisms of control

Process and procedures:Compromise:

• Recognition of (cultural) differences

• Autonomy as (internal)self-determination

• Subdivision and delimitation of spheres of influence

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 18

Joint Commissions - Composition

State Region/Province

Commission “of 12“

for the Region

Commission “of Six“

for the Province

of South Tyrol

German speaker Italian speaker

Provincial Assembly

Trentino

Regional Assembly

Trentino-South Tyrol

Provincial Assembly

South Tyrol

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 19

Enactment Decrees - Hierarchy of Norms

⇒⇒⇒⇒ Negotiated legislative process - "by-passing" Parliament

JointCommittee

AutonomousProvince ST

Constitution

Decrees

EnactmentDecrees

Const.LawsAuton. Statutes

Ordinary LawLaws

Parliament

Regulations andadministrative acts

State Government

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 20

Group rights in South Tyrol

� Cultural autonomy

� Parity of languages

� Veto rights

� Proportional principle

Art. 2 Autonomy-Statute

In the region all citizens are granted equal rights,

regardless of the linguistic group to which they belong, and

their respective ethnic and cultural characteristics

are safeguarded.

http://www.consiglio-bz.org/downloads/Statuto_E.pdf

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 21

Ethnic quota-system

Basis: numerical strength

of language groups (census)

• representation for the allocation of public posts

• distribution of public funds and resources

culture, housing, ...

– generally not applied to private bodies

– exceptions: bodies of public interest and/or of public finance; privatized enterprises

proportional ...

• representation in the political sphere

– proportional electoral system

– composition of organs (incl. municipalities)

Woelk The case of South Tyrol 22

Minority Protection and Autonomy

• Functional dimension

• Participation, co-resonsibility

• Integration, interaction

Principle of territoriality

Multilevel governance

• Individual vs. Collective Rights

• "Tolerance established by law"

• Segregation, defensive character

Protection of persons

Sovereignty/security

"Mix" and balance of fundamental principles

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Evolutionary Process

� Time-factor anddynamics of process

South Tyrol

1. End of Conflict:Compromise

2. Implementationand consolidation

1992

3. Normalisation:New Orientiation ?