July 2006

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AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR ANNOUNCES COMPROMISE ON BILINGUAL SIGNS

July & August 2006 - Wolfgang Schüssel has announced a new compromise agreement on bilingual signs in Carinthia. The proposal has the support of the government coalition as well as the opposition Social Democrats and the Association of Carinthian Slovenes. The Council of Carinthian Slovenes, the second largest organisation representing the Slovene minority, as well as the Austrian Greens, have rejected it. Both groupings say the compromise is still not in line with the Austrian constitution. However the Austrian Chancellor’s proposal is expected to pass Parliament because it has the support of all major political parties. .

Schüssel’s compromise is based on the so called “Karner paper” and is a slightly modified version of the proposal the chancellor tabled two months earlier. The basis of the document is the erection of bilingual signage in all municipalities with more than 10% Slovenes and in settlements with more than 15% Slovenes. The municipalities are given until 2009 to implement the new law. Overall 65 new bilingual signs are due to be erected. .

Austrian President Heinz Fischer and the Slovene government also welcomed the compromise agreement. Nevertheless, opposition parties in Slovenia criticised the Slovene government claiming that the new law is still in breach of the Austrian State Treaty of 1955. Since then there have been various attempts to find a consensus between majority and minority on the matter in Austria. (Source: Eurolang) .