ZAGREB, May 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Government on Friday endorsed motioned amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Rights of Minorities, and forwarded to the Parliament drafts on the equal official use of minority languages and
scripts and education in these languages. The draft amendments to the Constitutional Law on minorities would individually number the 16 minorities in Croatia, including Bosniaks, Slovenes, Montenegrins and Macedonians. Under the amendments, members of minorities of less than eight per cent of the total population will have the right to at least five MPs. Rescinded would be provisions on districts -- administrative units with a special status. The amendments were motioned by the Parliament's Committee for the Constitution and Rule Book. The government forwarded into the second reading a bill on equal official use of minority languages and scripts. The right, besides at a town and
ZAGREB, May 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Government on Friday endorsed
motioned amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Rights of
Minorities, and forwarded to the Parliament drafts on the equal
official use of minority languages and scripts and education in
these languages.
The draft amendments to the Constitutional Law on minorities would
individually number the 16 minorities in Croatia, including
Bosniaks, Slovenes, Montenegrins and Macedonians.
Under the amendments, members of minorities of less than eight per
cent of the total population will have the right to at least five
MPs.
Rescinded would be provisions on districts -- administrative units
with a special status.
The amendments were motioned by the Parliament's Committee for the
Constitution and Rule Book.
The government forwarded into the second reading a bill on equal
official use of minority languages and scripts. The right, besides
at a town and municipal level, would be exercised at the level of
counties.
An equal use of minority languages is suggested in cases when a
minority in a municipality or town makes up the majority of
residents, when stipulated under international agreements and when
stipulated by the statute of the municipalities and towns, or
counties.
Suggested is also the legal regulation of education in minority
languages.
A school teaching in a minority language could be opened for a
smaller number of students than envisaged for schools in Croatian.
This would be done in a class department or education group.
The law also stipulates the obligation of learning Croatian and the
Latin script.
the Government also forwarded into Parliament procedure final
draft amendments to the Law on Reconstruction, relating to the
reconstruction of war damaged or destroyed property by the end of
the peaceful reintegration of the Danube river region (January 15,
1998).
All owners and co-owners of such property would be made equal in
their rights to reconstruction.
The Government would establish a new deadline for the submission of
applications for reconstruction, and some new models of
reconstruction would be introduced, such as providing financial
support instead of organised reconstruction, the possibility for
elderly persons to substitute reconstruction for accommodation in
social flats.
Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction Minister Radimir
Cacic said requests for estimating priorities for reconstruction
for Homeland War soldiers and invalids of war could not be a subject
in the Law on Reconstruction, but rather other legal acts.
(hina) lml jn