The Use of Mother Tongue in Public Administration: A Case Study of Serbia

Katinka Beretka

doi:10.54201/iajas.130

Authors

Katinka Beretka Union University of Belgrade https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3875-8055

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54201/iajas.130

Keywords:

language rights, public administration, national minority, Serbia

Abstract

Citizens are primarily in contact with the state through public administration, and due to the changing and expanding role of the state, this contact is becoming more and more frequent and complex. An important element of the regulation of the citizen–state relationship is the definition of the language of their communication, respecting, on the one hand, the freedom of language use and the prohibition of discrimination, and on the other hand, the identity of the state-forming nation and the principle of efficiency. Thanks to its decades-long tradition of multilingual public administration, Serbia ensures relatively broad rights to use mother tongue before public administration bodies. However, practice does not catch up with the law. The paper’s goal is to present the discrepancies between the de iure and de facto situation in the field of official language use in Serbia’s multilevel public administration, and to suggest a paradigm shift for further improvement.

Author Biography

Katinka Beretka, Union University of Belgrade

Associate Professor, Union University of Belgrade, Dr Lazar Vrkatić Faculty of Legal and Business Studies, Novi Sad, Serbia.

References

Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (2019). Fourth Opinion on Serbia. No. ACFC/OP/IV(2019)001. Adopted on 26 June 2019. Online: https://rm.coe.int/4th-op-serbia-en/16809943b6

Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (2012). Thematic Commentary No. 3 The Language Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities under the Framework Convention. ACFC/44DOC(2012)001 Rev. Adopted on 24 May 2012. Online: https://rm.coe.int/16800c108d

Benedikter, T. (2009). The World’s Modern Autonomy Systems Concepts and Experiences of Regional Territorial Autonomy. Institute of Minority Rights. EURAC Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9469.2011.01096.x

Beretka, K. (2016). Language Rights and Multilingualism in Vojvodina. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 23(4), 505–529. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15718115-02304007

Choudhry, S. & Houlihan, E. C. (2021). Official Language Designation. International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 20. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2021.40

Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (2009). First Evaluation Report on Serbia. No. ECRML (2009) 2. 6 May 2009. Council of Europe. Online: https://rm.coe.int/16806db959

Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. (2023). Fifth Evaluation Report on Serbia. 7 June 2023. Secretariat of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Council of Europe. Online: https://rm.coe.int/serbia-ecrml5-en/1680ab8322

Committee of Ministers (2009). Recommendation CM/RecChL(2009)2 on the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages by Serbia. Online: https://shorturl.at/Y0Fyf

Committee of Ministers (2021). Resolution CM/ResCMN(2021)11 on the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Serbia. Online: https://rm.coe.int/0900001680a22771

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (2017). Recommendation 403 (2017)1 on Local and Regional Democracy in Serbia. Online: https://shorturl.at/h1Kvd

Council of Europe (1995). Explanatory Report to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, ETS 157., Strasbourg, 1 February 1995. Online: https://rm.coe.int/16800cb5eb

Dobos, B. & Tóth, Á. (2011). A magyarországi bunyevácokról (Szakértői összefoglaló). MTA Kisebbségkutató Intézet. Online: https://tinyurl.com/bnxcyawz

Đorđević, Lj. (2022). The legal status of languages / ‘languages’ that emerged from Serbo-Croatian. Destabilizing effects of the provisions of the official language. Language Problems and Language Planning, 46(2), 146–170. https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00090.djo

Đurić, V. (2014a). Dileme pravnog regulisanja upotrebe jezika i pisma nacionalnih manjina – Primer Republike Srbije. Godišnjak Fakulteta pravnih nauka, 4(4), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.7251/GFP1404095DJ

Đurić, V. (2014b). Pravni aspekti prikupljanja, upotrebe i značaja statističkih podataka o nacionalnoj, jezičkoj i verskoj pripadnosti stanovništva. Republički zavod za statistiku; Institut za uporedno pravo.

European Commission for Democracy Through Law (Venice Commission) (2007). Opinion on the Constitution of Serbia. Opinion No. 405/2006. 19 March 2007. Council of Europe. Online: https://shorturl.at/D9BzQ

Hock, R. (1972). A többnyelvűség múltja és jelene Vajdaság területén. Jogtörténeti vázlat. Létünk, 1972/3–4, 43–70.

Indahsari, C. L. & Raharja, S. J. (2020). New Public Management (NPM) as an Effort in Governance. Jurnal Manajemen Pelayanan Publik, 3(2), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.24198/jmpp.v3i2.25342

Kardos, G. (2019). The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: Some of its characteristics and the future of the supervisory mechanism. Gdańskie Studia Prawnicze, 2, 261–271.

Kordić, S. (2016). Jezična prošlost u službi politike. Peščanik, 17. 11. 2016. Online: https://pescanik.net/jezicna-proslost-u-sluzbi-politike/

Korhecz, T. & Beretka, K. (2013). A helyi önkormányzatok, az autonóm tartomány, valamint a dekoncentrált államigazgatási szervek szervezete, felépítése és feladatai a Szerb Köztársasárban. Új Magyar Közigazgatás, 6(10), 9–21.

Korhecz, T. & Beretka, K. (2018). Ustavnosudsko i zakonsko uobličavanje normativne nadležnosti Autonomne pokrajine Vojvodine. Anali Pravnog fakulteta u Beogradu, 66(1), 90–116.

Korhecz, T. & Teofilović, P. (2018). Upravno postupanje i sudska kontrola zakonitosti upravnih akata. Fakultet za pravne i poslovne studije dr Lazar Vrkatić, Novi Sad; Službenik glasnik RS.

Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue (2024, February 21). Republika Srbija obezbeđuje obrazovanje za 60.000 dece na jezicima nacionalnih manjina. Online: https://shorturl.at/1ijl1

Mowbray, J. (2022). Language Rights and Linguistic Justice in International Law: Lost in Translation? Just. Journal of Language Rights & Minorities, Revista de Drets Lingüístics i Minories, 1(1–2), 37–68. https://doi.org/10.7203/Just.1.25238

Pajvančić, M. (2009). Komentar Ustava Republike Srbije. Fondacija Konrad Adenauer.

Ramallo, F. (2018). Relevance and impact of Article 7 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and its implications for languages of Spain. Revista de Llengua i Dret, Journal of Language and Law, 69, 28–51. https://doi.org/10.2436/rld.i69.2018.3116

Republički zavod za statistiku (2023). Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i stanova 2022. godine—Nacionalna pripadnost—Podaci po opštinama i gradovima. Republički zavod za statistiku.

Salzborn, S. (2021). Ethnicity, Homogeneity, Nation: A Relationship of Tension. Theoria, 68(167), 66–81. https://doi.org/10.3167/th.2021.6816703

Vlatković, M. & Golić, D. (2021). Pravo lokalne samouprave. Pravni fakultet za privredu i pravosuđe.

Vukašinović, É. (2013). Nyelvi jogsértések a Tartományi Ombudsman gyakorlatában. Létünk, különszám, 55–71. Online: https://shorturl.at/yUJhH

Woehrling, J. (2005). The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: A Critical Commentary. Council of Europe.