110 PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS information in the minority language (arts. 10 and 11); • Officially recognize surnames and first names in the minority language (art. 11); • “Endeavour to ensure” the right to use the minority language before administrative authorities and to display bilingual topographical indications in the minority language, in areas inhabited by national minorities “traditionally” or “in substantial numbers” (arts. 10 and 11); • Foster knowledge of the culture, history, language and religion of both majority and minorities (art. 12); • Recognize the rights of minorities to set up and manage their own educational establishments and learn their own language (arts. 13 and 14); • “Endeavour to ensure” that there are adequate opportunities to be taught in the minority language, in areas traditionally inhabited by national minorities or where they live in “substantial numbers” (art. 14); • Refrain from measures which alter the proportions of the population in areas inhabited by minorities (art. 16); • Refrain from interfering with the rights of members of minorities to maintain contacts across frontiers and participate in the activities of national and international NGOs (art. 17). Definition The Framework Convention does not define “national minority”, although several States have set out their own definition when they ratified it. Many of these definitions (attached as declarations at the time of ratification) exclude non-citizens and migrants from protection under the Framework Convention, and some identify the specific groups to whom the Convention will apply. Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Malta are parties to the Framework Convention, but each declared that there are no national minorities within their respective territory. Although States have a margin of appreciation in deciding to whom the Framework Convention applies, this issue will be assessed as part of the international monitoring process created for the Framework Convention, discussed below. But a first step by any NGO which wishes to participate in the monitoring process should be to determine whether the State concerned has made a declaration concerning the groups to which it will apply the Framework Convention.132 Implementation and monitoring The Framework Convention creates an Advisory Committee, a body of 18 independent experts elected by the Committee of Ministers from candidates proposed by States parties, which is responsible, together with the Committee of Ministers, for monitoring implementation of the Convention and adopting country-specific recommendations. Advisory Committee members are to be recognized experts in the field of minority protection; they serve in their individual capacity and must be independent and impartial. The fact that they do not represent their Governments is important, since the Committee of Ministers is a political body of Government representatives. The involvement of an impartial expert body in assessing minority issues facilitates the task of the Committee of Ministers, and the Committee of Ministers (which, as the highest decision-making body in the Council of Europe, has many other duties) relies heavily on the work of the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee’s activities begin with the analysis of State reports, which are submitted within one year of the entry into force of the Framework Convention for that State and every five An up-to-date list of such declarations is available from www.coe.int/minorities. 132