Europe, with the European Charter for the Protection of Regional and Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of Minorities has acknowledged that the protection of its cultural identity, of which languages form part, is vital. Despite these efforts, States have adopted varying measures. France, for constitutional reasons, is unable to recognize officially any of its linguistic minorities. As a consequence, in practical terms, French legislation on the subject of minority language instruction at school cannot really promote, for example, the teaching of Corsican, because it must be seen to be of a voluntary nature. In other words, a minority language will be taught as long as it is not compulsory. This principle has the unfortunate corollary of threatening the existence and survival of France’s minority languages.
European Public Law