48 "RELATING TO CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE LAWS ON THE USE OF LANGUAGES IN EDUCATION IN BELGIUM" v. BELGIUM (MERITS) JUDGMENT Linkebeek, Rhode-St. Genèse, Wemmel and Wezembeek-Oppem, "a separate administrative district" with its own "special status". This status is essentially defined in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Section 7. Paragraph 2 in substance provides that the six communes concerned shall enjoy a bilingual system "in administrative matters", at least in relations between the local services and the public. As regards paragraph 3, which is applicable to "the question of schools", it is worded as follows: "A. Teaching shall be in Dutch. The second language may be taught at the primary level to the extent of four hours a week in the second form and eight hours a week in the third and fourth forms. B. Nursery and primary schooling may be given to children in French if that is their maternal or usual language and if the head of the family resides in one of these communes. Such schooling may be provided only on the request of 16 heads of families residing within the commune. The commune to which such an application is made must organise such schooling. The teaching of the second national language shall be compulsory in primary schools to the extent of four hours a week in the second form and eight hours a week in the third and fourth forms. C. The teaching of the second language may include exercises of revising the other subjects of the programme". For the six communes in question, the linguistic control set up by Chapter V of the Act of 30th July 1963 is supplemented by that exercised by the Government commissioner, Vice-Governor of the province of Brabant (Section 7 (1) and (5) of the Act of 2nd August 1963). 2. Arguments presented by the Applicants before or through the Commission 16. The Applicants from Kraainem (Application No 1677/62) consider that this legislation violates Article 2 of the Protocol (P1-2) and Articles 8 and 14 (art. 8, art. 14) of the Convention. In their view, "the Brussels urban area" constitutes "a single indivisible entity". The Act of 30th July 1963 (Sections 4 and 5) and the Act of 2nd August 1963 (Sections 3, 6 and 7), however, provide "at least three distinct" systems: that for Greater Brussels, that for the six communes mentioned above, including Kraainem, and that of the other "surrounding" communes, including Alsemberg and Beersel, which still belong to the Dutch language region. Such a system reflects a wish "to throttle the facts": anxious to ensure the "Flemish reconquest" of the "outlying communes where the Brussels overspill has gone", the public authorities have confined the capital "within iron bounds", all the more rigid