Political parties outraged about the proposed constitution of the Austrian state of Carinthia
15. February 2017 ob 20:03

Several Slovenian political parties are critical of the intention announced by the Austrian state (Bundesland) of Carinthia that would eliminate Slovenian as the state’s second official language. They are demanding that that the relevant authorities take measures to protect the Slovenian minority in Austria.

In its comments about the intention of Carinthia’s state government to specify German as the sole official language in the new constitution, SMC points out that that the proposed constitution is only a draft. “We can only ask our government to demand a democratic constitution that would also mention the Slovenian people and their language in a way that would be acceptable to us,” said SMC MP Anita Koleša.

She stressed that the events have caused concern among SMC MPs, who feel that the proposed constitution is bad for both Carinthia and Austria. Koleša called for an urgent meeting of the Commission for Slovenians Abroad.

The President of the National Assembly and the Vice President of SMC Milan Brglez is also worried about events in Austria. He stressed that “it’s indisputable that Slovenia is both the de jure and de facto successor of the Austrian State Treaty (AST).” According to Brglez, this means that Slovenia is obligated to ensure that Article 7 of the AST is respected and that it must caution Austria that any “attempt to define German as the only language of Austrian Carinthia is a violation of the AST, as well as international agreements and other legal acts.” He expects Slovenia’s politicians to present a united front when it comes to supporting the Slovenian community in Carinthia and ensuring a consistent application of Article 7 of the AST.

Brglez added that this issue should not be used for political point scoring at home. He expressed his belief that the Slovenian government will “do everything to protect the interests of the Slovenian community in Austrian Carinthia.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec has stated that the coalition partners will discuss this issue on Thursday. Then, on Monday, he will meet with representatives of the Slovenian community in Carinthia. SD describes the proposed constitution as “a significant departure of the Austrian state’s policy from established agreements and practices.” The party feels that the draft violates the AST, “whose Article 7 clearly gives the Slovenian community a constitutional right to use the Slovenian language.” The party added that it expects all political representatives in Slovenia, as well as all state institutions, to do what is necessary to ensure that such a proposal is never passed.

DeSUS MP Primož Hainz has suggested that the National Assembly President Milan Brglez spend the next meeting of the National Assembly President’s committee “studying the matter and beginning the notification process based on the AST.” According to Hainz, this would enact Article 5 of the AST, which defines the border between Austria and Slovenia. “We would become the legal protector of the Slovenian community in Austria as defined by Article 7 of the AST. We would also correct the mistake made by the Demos government, which failed to carry out this task,” he added.

NSi has also issued a public statement. The President and the Vice President of the party, Ljudmila Novak in Jožef Horvat, expressed their concern about the discrimination of the Slovenian minority. “It seems that we are returning to the horrors of the Hitler era,” said Horvat and added that the party has demanded an urgent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee for Slovenian Abroad. Novak has also warned that the government must try to contact Austria’s federal government and demand the protection of the Slovenian community in Carinthia. The European MP Patricija Šulin, a member of the SDS, also described the proposal as completely unacceptable and a gross violation of the AST’s Article 7. “I support the efforts of the National Council of Carinthian Slovenians, which calls either for German to be removed from the proposed constitution or Slovenian to be added as the second state language in ethnically mixed municipalities,” she wrote in her public statement. At the same time, she called on the Slovenian government to do whatever it can to ensure that the proposed constitution is withdrawn.