!!!Minderheit

Minority, a concept of International Law defined as a culturally, 
denominationally, linguistically, ethnically or racially distinct 
population group that lives within a larger society, does not occupy a 
dominant position and wishes to preserve its own culture, religion and 
language. Minorities in Austria:  Slovenes in Carinthia and Styria,  
Croats,  Roma and Hungarians ( Hungary - Austria) in Burgenland and 
Czechs in Vienna; in all, these minorities make up less than 1 % 
of the total population. Minority rights in Austria are safeguarded by 
the State Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919), the State Treaty of Vienna 
(1955), the Minorities' Schools Act for Carinthia (1959), 
Article 14 of the European Human Rights Convention, the Federal 
Constitutional Act concerning the Prohibition of Racial Discrimination 
(1973) and the Ethnic Minorities Act (Volksgruppengesetz) of 1977. In 
Article 66 (1) and Article 67 of the State Treaty of 
Saint-Germain Austria undertakes to ensure equal treatment, de jure 
and de facto, of all citizens irrespective of their race, language or 
religion. In addition, the protection of minorities in Austria is 
safeguarded by special rights specifically granted to members of 
minorities. Under Article 66(4) of the Saint-Germain Treaty 
Austrian citizens who do not speak German are entitled to the use of 
their native language before court. Under Article 7 (3) of 
the State Treaty of Vienna, Slovene and Croat can be used as official 
languages side by side with German in those administrative and court 
districts of Carinthia, Burgenland and Styria with Slovene or Croat 
speaking inhabitants or a mixed population. In addition, topographic 
names and inscriptions have to be in two languages. This latter point 
has, since February 1, 1977, been regulated by the Ethnic 
Minorities Act, which provides that the Federal Government shall, by 
regulation, determine those areas in which topographic names and 
inscriptions shall be provided in two languages on the grounds that a 
relatively large proportion (1 quarter) of the local population 
in said areas belongs to an ethnic minority. Over and above the 
general requirement that primary education in their own language is to 
be provided for all members of an ethnic minority, the Protection of 
Minorities Act for Carinthia gives minorities in that province a legal 
claim to the provision of a requisite number of secondary schools 
offering instruction in their own language (  Schools for Minorities).

!Literature
H. Harbich, Der Minderheitenschutz in Oesterreich, in: 
Minderheitenschutz in Europa, 1985; R. Henke, Leben lassen ist nicht 
genug. Zur Lage der Minderheiten in Oesterreich, 1988.


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