ACFC/44DOC(2012)001 rev
24.
The Advisory Committee notes that preventing assimilation requires not only
abstaining from policies clearly aimed at assimilating persons belonging to national minorities
into mainstream society.28 It also implies, as stated in Article 5.1 of the Framework
Convention, positive action in order to “promote the conditions necessary for persons
belonging to national minorities to maintain and develop their culture, and to preserve the
essential elements of their identity”, including their language. With regard to numerically
smaller minorities in particular, this obligation requires the active promotion and
encouragement of the use of minority languages, and the creation of an overall environment
that is conducive to the use of these languages, in order to prevent their disappearance from
public life. While assimilation may be a voluntary individual process, it is often preceded by a
period of cultural, social or political inequality between the majority and minority population
which then leads persons belonging to national minorities to consent to assimilate.
25.
Integration, as opposed to assimilation, is considered a legitimate aim to which both
the majority and minority cultures contribute. It is understood, in this context, as a process of
social cohesion that respectfully accommodates diversity while promoting a positive sense of
belonging for all members of society. The creation of suitable conditions for persons
belonging to minority groups to preserve and develop their cultures and to assert their
respective identities is thus considered essential for an integrated society.29 As a two-way
process, integration requires recognition and respect on both sides and may often lead to
changes within both the majority and the minority cultures. This implies an open attitude and
readiness for change on the part of the majority population, in order to welcome the
enrichment provided by minority cultures.
28
29
First Opinion on Norway.
First Opinion on Bulgaria; First Opinion on Denmark; Third Opinion on Finland.
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