Armenia

Committee of Ministers: Media-specific Provisions in New Resolutions on Minorities

IRIS 2007-3:1/6

Tarlach McGonagle

Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam

At the beginning of 2007, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers (CM) adopted five country-specific Resolutions in the context of the Second Monitoring Cycle of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM). The Resolutions contain a number of provisions concerning the (audiovisual) media (for similar provisions in earlier country-specific Resolutions, see IRIS 2006-2: 4).

In respect of Finland, the CM notes that radio programmes in minority languages, “while limited in their scope, have become important tools in the promotion and protection of minority cultures”. It also notes that there is “a need to develop further the minority language public service broadcasting in order to accommodate the existing demand, inter alia , for children’s programmes in the Sami languages”. By way of concrete recommendations, it invites the Finnish authorities to “encourage further development of minority language media and review the current subsidy system with a view to ensuring that it takes into account the specific situation of minority language print media”.

In respect of Malta and San Marino, the CM does not make any comments or recommendations relating specifically to the (audiovisual) media.

In respect of Germany, the CM flags the provision of radio broadcasts for the Frisians of Lower Saxony as a positive development and the frequent occurrence of discrimination against, and stigmatisation of, the Roma/Sinti in the media as an issue of concern. Furthermore, it recommends that the authorities “pursue efforts to improve the access to, and representation in, the media of persons belonging to national minorities, particularly in the public service media”.

In respect of Armenia, two main recommendations concerning the media are addressed to the authorities, viz ., to “further increase awareness-raising measures among the public, politicians and the media regarding national minorities” and to “find ways to increase the participation of minorities in the media and remove legislative obstacles to broadcasting in minority languages on public radio and television”.

The implementation of the FCNM by States Parties is monitored by the CM and the Advisory Committee on the FCNM. A system of periodic State reporting forms the basis of the monitoring process. The Opinions adopted by the Advisory Committee are, by their nature, much more detailed than the subsequent Resolutions adopted by the CM.


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This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.