The Council of Europe: Enhancing Minority and Linguistic Rights in Scotland
Published: 18 April 2024
Event recording
University of Glasgow’s College of Social Sciences, in collaboration with the Centre for Public Policy and the University of Edinburgh, hosted an event to raise awareness of Council of Europe standards on minority protection and how individuals and organisations might engage with the monitoring bodies.
On Wednesday 14th December the University of Glasgow welcomed representatives from the Council of Europe, Scottish Government, academics, students and members of civil society for a discussion about how to enhance rights of ethnic and linguist minorities within Scotland.
The visit also coincided with the forthcoming adoption of the Scottish Languages Bill and Scottish Human Rights Act. This event explored how the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM – adopted 1998) and European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML – adopted 1993) can support policy development and implementation, including through fuller engagement and empowerment of civil society.
Professor David Smith, Alex Nove Chair in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow, outlines the motivation for the event and the audiences that it attracted:
Dr Aleksandra Oszmiańska-Pagett, Chair of the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, discusses what the next steps are for enhancing minority and linguistic rights in Scotland:
Professor Joanna Kopaczyk, Professor of Scots and English Philology at the University of Glasgow, shares what she hopes will come from the discussions that took place and highlights why events like these are so important for policy development:
About the Council of Europe
Comprising 46 member states, the Council of Europe is dedicated to the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Its available instruments include the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM – adopted 1998) and the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML – adopted 1993).
A founding member of the Council of Europe in 1949, the United Kingdom has ratified both the FCNM (1998) and the ECRML (2001). There is, however, limited public awareness of how persons belonging to ethnic and linguistic minorities can benefit from the protections offered under these treaties.
In both cases, independent expert committees regularly monitor how signatory states implement these treaties. Representatives of the two committees are visiting Glasgow in December for a dialogue with policymakers and civil society on current issues and recent expert recommendations specific to Scotland.
Read the full event report on The Council of Europe website
This research has been supported by the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)
About the Council of Europe
Comprising 46 member states, the Council of Europe is dedicated to the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Its available instruments include the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM – adopted 1998) and the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML – adopted 1993).
A founding member of the Council of Europe in 1949, the United Kingdom has ratified both the FCNM (1998) and the ECRML (2001). There is, however, limited public awareness of how persons belonging to ethnic and linguistic minorities can benefit from the protections offered under these treaties.
In both cases, independent expert committees regularly monitor how signatory states implement these treaties. Representatives of the two committees are visiting Glasgow in December for a dialogue with policymakers and civil society on current issues and recent expert recommendations specific to Scotland.
First published: 18 April 2024