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Minority Rights
Polish News Bulletin
May 11, 2005
May 1 marked the introduction into force of the Act on National and
Ethnic Minorities as well as Regional Language dated 6 January
2005. This legislation sets principles governing treatment of Polish
citizens who are not of Polish nationality and provides such
minorities new rights. Under the new law persons of national minority
origin themselves determine how they wish to be treated and any
decision reached in this connection cannot prove personally
detrimental. All attempts at assimilation are banned, as are efforts
to redistribute the national or ethnic make-up of a particular
region. Of most practical importance is the ability of minorities to
use their own language in affairs pending before district (gmina)
governmental bodies where a minority constitutes at least 20% of a
local district. Traditional minority language names may also be used
alongside location names such as streets, but may not relate to names
issued in the years 1933-45 by either the Third Reich or the
USSR. Recognized national minorities are: Belorussian, Czech,
Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and
Jewish. Only Kaszubian is officially deemed to be a regional language.
Polish News Bulletin
May 11, 2005
May 1 marked the introduction into force of the Act on National and
Ethnic Minorities as well as Regional Language dated 6 January
2005. This legislation sets principles governing treatment of Polish
citizens who are not of Polish nationality and provides such
minorities new rights. Under the new law persons of national minority
origin themselves determine how they wish to be treated and any
decision reached in this connection cannot prove personally
detrimental. All attempts at assimilation are banned, as are efforts
to redistribute the national or ethnic make-up of a particular
region. Of most practical importance is the ability of minorities to
use their own language in affairs pending before district (gmina)
governmental bodies where a minority constitutes at least 20% of a
local district. Traditional minority language names may also be used
alongside location names such as streets, but may not relate to names
issued in the years 1933-45 by either the Third Reich or the
USSR. Recognized national minorities are: Belorussian, Czech,
Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and
Jewish. Only Kaszubian is officially deemed to be a regional language.