Language Rights in Education and Administration in the Light of the Reports of the European Charter´s Committee of Experts

This study examines the commitments made by the four neighbouring countries of Hungary with the largest Hungarian minority communities (Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine) during the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in terms of Hungarian-language use in education, public administration and public services. It analyses on the basis of the latest reports of an independent international body, the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe (issued between 2017 and 2019) how these states are fulfilling their commitments in practice. The analysis highlights that the four countries involved in the study do not fully meet their international commitments undertaken by the ratification of the Charter in the spirit of European integration in these two essential areas from the point of view of the language retention of their Hungarian minorities. In particular, the examined states lag behind in the practical application of the undertaken commitments in the field of the Hungarian language use in public administration. The analysis also shows that, of the four countries, Ukraine has met its commitments to the least extent.