Finnish Swedes demand action from the Swedish Government

[Harold Schiffman]

  Finnish Swedes demand action from the Swedish Government [image: Print]
<http://www.eurolang.net/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2945&Itemid=1&pop=1&page=0#>
  Gent,
Monday, 10 September 2007 by Katriina Kilpi

 Finnish Swedes have demanded that the Swedish Government present the
Council of Europe with practical measures to improve the conditions of the
Sweden's Finnish national minority. A Finnish delegation as well as other
national minority representatives negotiated last week with the Government
about Sweden's next periodical report on the implementation of the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. "Sweden has received such a
strong critique that it is now obliged to move from words to actions" said
researcher Leena Huss, a member of the delegation.

Last September, the Council of Europe criticized Sweden over the report it
handed in. The report urged Sweden to quickly broaden the rights of the
Finns so that they are able to use their language not only in the five
northern provinces but across Sweden. It also highlighted that Sweden has
yet to sign the Indigenous and Tribal People's convention (ILO 169) and it
is failing to obey its own laws when it neglects the teaching of national
minority languages.

After a year Sweden has to explain to the Council how proposals from year
ago have progressed. "The representatives of the Finnish national minority
are no longer happy with just guarantees of new investigations", said Leena
Huss.  Sweden is to hand in its report about the state of its national
minorities at the end of this month. (Eurolang 2007)

The full text of the report and the Committee of Ministers' recommendations
can be downloaded from the Charter's website:
http://www.coe.int/minlang("Reports and Recommendations" section).


http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2945&Itemid=1&lang=en<javascript:window.close();>


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