Source: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/NationalLegislation/natleg.htm
Law on
Self-governing Ethnic Communities
5 October 1994
I. BASIC PROVISIONS
Article 1
For the implementation of special rights, guaranteed by the Constitution of
the Republic of Slovenia, for the promotion of their needs and interests,
and for organized participation in public matters, members of Italian and
Hungarian minorities establish, in regions of their autochthonous settlement,
self-governing ethnic communities.
Article 2
Self-governing ethnic communities are public legal persons.
II. TASKS OF SELF-GOVERNING ETHNIC COMMUNITIES
Article 3
Self-governing ethnic communities perform the following tasks:
- in accordance with the Constitution and law, they decide autonomously on
all matters within their competence;
- in accordance with law, they give consent to matters concerning the protection
of special rights of ethnic communities. The decisions are made together with
bodies of self-governing local communities;
- they discuss and study matters concerning the status of ethnic communities,
they adopt standpoints and they submit proposals and initiatives to competent
bodies;
- they stimulate and organize activities, contributing to the preservation
of ethnic identity of members of Italian and Hungarian ethnic community.
Article 4
Self-governing ethnic communities implement the tasks from the above article
by:
- inciting and organizing cultural, research, informative, publishing and
economic activities essential for the development of ethnic communities;
- establishing organisations and public institutions;
- following and promoting the development of education and schooling of members
of ethnic communities and, pursuant to law, participating in the planning
and organizing of educational work and the preparing of educational programs;
- promoting contacts with their nation of origin, members of ethnic communities
in other states and with international organisations;
- pursuant to law, performing tasks from the competence of the state;
- performing other tasks arising from the statute.
Article 5
Self-governing ethnic communities cooperate with members of ethnic communities,
elected into bodies of self-governing local communities and National Council,
with bodies of self-governing local communities and state bodies.
III. Organisation
Article 6
Members of Italian and Hungarian ethnic communities, autochthonously settled
in ethnically mixed territories, found municipal self-governing ethnic communities.
Article 7
The highest body of municipal self-governing ethnic community is the Council
of the self-governing ethnic community, elected by the members of ethnic community
in direct elections.
Article 8
The right to vote and be elected a member of the council of municipal self-governing
ethnic community is reserved for members of ethnic community that have the
right to vote and are registered in a special municipal register of voters
of citizens - members of ethnic community.
Elections into the council of municipal self-governing ethnic community are
as a rule performed simultaneously with elections into bodies of self-governing
local communities. Thereby provisions of the Law on local elections are applied.
Article 9
Municipal self-governing ethnic communities integrate into Italian or Hungarian
self-governing ethnic communities in the Republic of Slovenia, respectively.
The highest body of self-governing ethnic community is the council of self-governing
ethnic community.
Article 10
The council of self-governing ethnic community performs the following tasks
within its competence:
- adopts the statute and other regulations of self-governing ethnic community;
- adopts the financial plan and the final account,
- pursuant to the statute it elects working bodies and nominates officials
of the self-governing ethnic communities,
- performs other tasks arising from the statute.
Article 11
The statute of self-governing ethnic community defines in detail the tasks
and competences of self-governing ethnic community, its organisation, mode
of decision making, modes and forms of representing the self-governing ethnic
community in the Republic of Slovenia and the procedure of elections into
bodies of self-governing ethnic community.
The statute determines the manner and forms of cooperation of the self-governing
ethnic community with organisations, associations and other forms of activities,
established by members of ethnic community for the implementation of their
special rights.
IV. RELATION BETWEEN THE SELF-GOVERNING ETHNIC COMMUNITIES AND BODIES OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNING COMMUNITIES
Article 12
Self-governing ethnic communities submit to self-governing local communities
proposals, initiatives and opinions on matters regarding the status of ethnic
communities and the preservation of characteristics of ethnically mixed territories.
Bodies of self-governing local communities are obliged to deal with the initiatives
from the above paragraph and take a stand towards them.
Article 13
Representatives of the ethnic community, elected into councils of self-governing
local communities, shall acquire consent of self-governing ethnic communities
prior to decisions on matters relating to special rights of members of ethnic
communities.
Article 14
Self-governing ethnic communities shall be ensured necessary premises and
other means necessary for activities by the self-governing local communities.
V. RELATIONS TO STATE BODIES
Article 15
Self-governing ethnic communities submit proposals, initiatives and opinions
on all matters within their competence to the National Council, the government
and other state bodies.
As to matters related to status of the members of ethnic communities, state
bodies are obliged to acquire prior opinion of self-governing ethnic communities.
VI. CONTACTS WITH NATION OF ORIGIN AND ETHNIC COMMUNITIES IN OTHER STATES
Article 16
Self-governing ethnic communities cooperate with respective nations of origin
and their states, with members of ethnic communities in other states and with
international organisations.
Article 17
Members of self-governing ethnic communities participate in preparations of
interstate agreements relating to the status of ethnic communities and protection
of their rights.
VII. FINANCING
Article 18
Financial means for the activity of municipal self-governing ethnic communities
are provided by municipal budget, financial means for the activity of the
Italian and Hungarian self-governing ethnic communities in the Republic of
Slovenia are provided by the state budget.
Means for the activities of organisations and public institutions, fulfilling
the needs of ethnic communities, and for the financing of activities arising
from article 16, are provided from the means of self-governing local communities,
from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia and other sources, pursuant to
the law.
VII. TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 19
Resolution on the issuing of the writs for the first election into council
of municipal self-governing ethnic community and the resolution on the number
of council members are adopted by the hitherto municipal self-governing communities
of the Italian and Hungarian ethnic communities for the territory of the up
to now municipalities.
Article 20
Self-governing ethnic communities shall organize and adapt their activities
to the provisions of this law within 6 months after the first elections into
bodies of self-governing local communities.
Article 21
This law shall come into force on the fifteenth day after the publication
in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.