ACFC/44DOC(2012)001 rev PART VII LANGUAGE RIGHTS AND PARTICIPATION 84. The right of persons belonging to national minorities to effective participation in public affairs, as contained in Article 15, is considered a central provision of the Framework Convention, to which the Advisory Committee devoted its second thematic commentary.109 Effective participation is key to the full enjoyment of other rights protected by the Framework Convention, facilitates intercultural dialogue and promotes social cohesion. All of these aspects of participation, however, may be problematic for persons belonging to national minorities due to language barriers. This Chapter on language rights and participation therefore touches upon considerations that are also of relevance in other chapters of this thematic commentary, such as the issues of equality and non-discrimination, the use of minority languages in public, as well as the learning in and of minority and official languages. 85. The issues of language and language legislation are often central to minority communities and may provoke tension within society. Therefore, two equally important goals must be negotiated: guarantees and respect for the use of minority languages, on the one hand, and social cohesion, on the other. This latter concept often contains references to one main official language. The Advisory Committee has reiterated in a number of relevant countryspecific Opinions the legitimacy of the goal of promoting the official language, as it plays a very important role in achieving cohesive societies and encouraging the effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities in public life. Knowledge of the official language facilitates identification as resident and active citizen of a state and is therefore indispensable for persons belonging to national minorities to take part effectively in public life. On the other hand and as mentioned above, proficiency in the official language and enjoyment of the specific linguistic rights of persons belonging to national minorities are not mutually exclusive. All plans or measures to strengthen the official language must be discussed in timely and public consultation processes. These must include the active participation of national minority representatives in order to ensure that minority language rights are effectively protected. 1. LANGUAGE RIGHTS AND EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE 86. Persons belonging to national minorities frequently face more significant difficulties than others in accessing the labour market, education and training, housing, health care and other social services. These difficulties are, among others, often due also to language barriers, related to insufficient command of the official language.110 The situation can be even worse for persons belonging to national minorities who, due to low-quality minority language learning possibilities, graduate with only limited minority language skills and without proficiency in the official language. In most cases, high quality teaching and proficiency in the official language is a precondition for effective participation in cultural, social and economic life. Official language learning for persons belonging to national minorities should thus be facilitated for all age groups, including for those already engaged in public or private sector employment. Particularly in states where new official languages have been introduced, the authorities should make it attractive for persons belonging to national minorities to learn the new official language, for instance, by offering career opportunities for persons who speak official and minority languages. 109 ACFC Second Thematic Commentary to the Effective Participation of Persons belonging to National Minorities in Cultural, Social and Economic Life and Public Affairs, see Footnote 4. 110 See, for instance, First Opinion on Georgia. 27