Russian language, once obligatorily taught at schools, is to become minority language in Slovakia. (source: Sme )
The Cabinet thus responded to a suggestion from the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages’ expert committee that Russian and Serbian be recognised as minority languages in Slovakia.
A total of 1,997 Slovak citizens reported themselves as belonging to the Russian minority in the 2011 census, and 698 citizens reported themselves as belonging to the Serbian minority. Members of these minorities are scattered throughout Slovakia and thus do not comprise at least 15 percent of any town’s population, which is the condition.
The existing minority or regional languages in Slovakia are Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Polish, Roma, Ruthenian and Ukrainian.
Slovakia signed the European Charter on February 20, 2001. This international treaty was established to protect and support minority and regional languages as an endangered aspect of Europe’s cultural heritage.
