According to most commentators,cultural autonomy is not a right recognized by positive international law.This article argues that the core elements of cultural autonomy can be derived from the right to effective parti...According to most commentators,cultural autonomy is not a right recognized by positive international law.This article argues that the core elements of cultural autonomy can be derived from the right to effective participation guaranteed by Article 15 of the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities(FCNM).The existing standards developed by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention are rather vague,and fail to regulate several issues important for effective participation.This is not determined by the wording of the Convention,but by the Committee’s choice to provide states with a very wide margin of appreciation.To fill in the gaps in the Committee’s jurisprudence,the article examines the case study of a recently adopted law on support for minority cultures in Slovakia.By using a qualitative-substantive approach,it specifies the content of cultural autonomy by defining its purpose,as well as the conditions under which it can be achieved.Applying the Committee’s general criteria to the specific problems raised by the Slovak law,the article establishes the core positive law requirements vis-à-vis the right to cultural autonomy.In closing,the article argues that the Committee should adopt detailed standards,similar to those proposed in the text,in order to enforce the right to effective participation in practice.Operationalizing effective participation leads in substance to the enforcement of the right to cultural autonomy,which is a developed form of the former.展开更多
文摘According to most commentators,cultural autonomy is not a right recognized by positive international law.This article argues that the core elements of cultural autonomy can be derived from the right to effective participation guaranteed by Article 15 of the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities(FCNM).The existing standards developed by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention are rather vague,and fail to regulate several issues important for effective participation.This is not determined by the wording of the Convention,but by the Committee’s choice to provide states with a very wide margin of appreciation.To fill in the gaps in the Committee’s jurisprudence,the article examines the case study of a recently adopted law on support for minority cultures in Slovakia.By using a qualitative-substantive approach,it specifies the content of cultural autonomy by defining its purpose,as well as the conditions under which it can be achieved.Applying the Committee’s general criteria to the specific problems raised by the Slovak law,the article establishes the core positive law requirements vis-à-vis the right to cultural autonomy.In closing,the article argues that the Committee should adopt detailed standards,similar to those proposed in the text,in order to enforce the right to effective participation in practice.Operationalizing effective participation leads in substance to the enforcement of the right to cultural autonomy,which is a developed form of the former.
