The European Charter
for Regional and Minority languages:
A threat for the unity of the French Republic?

By

Anne-Cécile Cabot	Delphine Godefroy

President Chirac refuses to change the French Constitution in order to ratify the Charter signed by France on 7 Mai 1999.

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, adopted by the Committee of Ministers in June 1992 and entered into force on 1 March 1998. The main objective of the Charter is the protection of languages - it does not create rights for linguistic groups or their individual members. The Charter recognises the right to use regional or minority languages in private and public life by laying down objectives and principles to be respected by states. The Charter proposes concrete measures to put these objectives into effect in the fields of education, courts of law, administrative authorities and public services, the media, culture, economic and social life.

Three years ago President Chirac was ready to ratify the Charter, but the good result of "the right wing of his party" at the European elections made him change his mind. Indeed he adopts the decision of the French Constitutional Council as his own. He refuses to modify the Constitution to ratify the Charter. According to him it's out of the question to undermine one of the basic principles of the French Republic: Its indivisibility which is a guarantee for equality of citizens.

Since 1792 the Republic has tried to unify the country. It was the beginning of centralization. French was used with this end in view and became the official language of the Republic. As a consequence regional languages and dialects have disappeared gradually.

At the beginning of the 20th century around 850 000 persons were Breton speakers. Nowadays they are only 266 000. This is not surprising ! At that time every school had a panel where it was written "It's forbidden to spit on the floor and to speak Breton." Pupils who were speaking another language than French were punished .

Because he spoke Breton at school!

In France everybody has the possibility to speak his regional language. The French national identity consists of vital political rights and of cultural rights which are secondary. The state gives to its citizens their political identity and they can choose if they want a cultural identity. This principle is called "Nation-State". For example a person who lives in Alsace is first of all French and eventually Alsatian if he wants.

Why have French politicians such extremist reactions when they hear of regional minorities in France? Jean-Pierre Chevènement, the French Home-Secretary, throws the ratification of the Charter for fear of "balkanisation of France"! But the Charter doesn't include the independence of the regional minorities only their official recognition.

According to Bernard Poignant, major of Quimper in Brittany and European deputy, only few fanciful Bretons demand to be independent. But if the majority continues to ignore the minorities, maybe they will be tempted to use violence. Better a grammar book than explosive!

President Chirac refused to ratify the Charter to respect the principle of indivisibility. But in reality there are already a lot of exceptions. Indeed in Alsace the law of separation between Church and State isn't applied even if this law is a basic foundation of the French Republic.

Corsica is another example. The Constitutional Council considered in 1991 that teaching Corsican culture and language isn't against the principle of equality if it isn't obligatory. 
Why is it accepted in Corsica and not in the other French regions?

France is reputed to be a democratic country in spite of a long tradition of elitism. It can explain why the French authorities seem not to rely on their citizens. Are they afraid of people who speak a language that the elite will not understand? According to opinion polls the majority of citizens don't agree with this point of view. They think that French and regional languages are compatible and complementary.

At the same time France is proud and takes care of historical monuments which belong to its heritage. For the elite to protect the French patrimony means to take care of historical monuments. For citizens that means also to promote and preserve the regional languages before it becomes too late. There is no democratic access to culture if you can't speak the language of your region without threating the sovereignty of your state.

The more the world becomes international, the more regional products are successful. In that way all regions are useful for national economies. But the French elite doesn't realize it yet.

For many countries France appears like a model of democracy. It wants to take part in the construction of Europe as a leader. But concerning the official recognition of minorities it is behindhand. As a matter of fact France still refuses to sign the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities adopted by the Committee of Ministers in 1994.

France consists of different regions with strong cultural identity. Regional musics and languages are necessary to protect these treasures of our patrimony for the future.

The diversity of the regions is not against the unity of the Republic.

Even if President Chirac refuses to modify the Constitution in order to ratify the Charter, a solution must be found before all regional languages have disappeared. Writing a project of law concerning regional culture, media and teaching could be an intermediate way. Thus the Constitution doesn't need to be changed.

The regions would finally be recognized by the French Republic without threatening its unity.