Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities adopted by the Council of Europe in 1995 is a multilateral international treaty that specifically addresses the protection of minority rights. It does not include the definition of national minorities but leaves it to the States Parties to the Convention, with the fourth thematic commentary annexed to the treaty summarising the Advisory Committee’s interpretation of the personal scope of the Framework Convention on the legal protection of members of immigrant minorities which, for nearly two decades, has been intended to provide guidance. In order to implement the programmatic norms of the Framework Convention, internal legal measures, legislative acts are required to ensure that the expectations set out as principles are met and accountable.
The main provisions of the Convention include the following: 1. free choice of identity; 2. identity as expressed in the religion, language, traditions and cultural heritage of minority persons; 3. equality before the law and equal protection under the law; 4. possibility of positive discrimination; 5. support for the preservation of culture and identity; 6. prohibition of assimilation against the will of the minority person; 7. freedom to use minority languages; 8. the right to use minority individual and community names; 9. the right to seek public education in minority languages; 10. prohibition of changing population ratios. Hungary was one of the first countries to sign the Framework Convention.