Justice minister discusses bilingual courts in Carinthia
Klagenfurt, 8 November - Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan attended the 33rd European Congress of National Communities of Carinthia, which focused on the future of minorities and their languages from the perspective of youth. Addressing the event, she talked about the Slovenian minority's right to use the Slovenian language in courts located in bilingual areas.
Bled
Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
File photo
"Courts are guarantors of the rule of law because they are deciding about the rights and obligations of individuals. Therefore the use of one's native tongue is a must," Švarc Pipan said.
She commended the cooperation between the minority's umbrella organisations and the Association of Carinthian Slovenian Jurists. In June, they signed a joint statement that they would strive to make all courts in the province bilingual.
Švarc Pipan said Slovenia was aware that this was part of a broader, systemic issue linked to a number of other rights, including access to quality education in Slovenian language.
On the sidelines of the congress, the minister also met with Carinthian Governor Peter Kaiser. The Justice Ministry said in a press release that they had discussed the necessity of expanding bilingual court access in order to implement a relevant provision in the Austrian State Treaty.