Serbian language policy on the rights to mother tongue education

The present research investigates the overall development and prevailing trends concerning regional or minority languages in Serbia, as well as the contemporary status and practical conditions under which these languages are used, maintained, and institutionally supported. The analysis concentrates on the measures undertaken by the Serbian authorities in response to the recommendations issued by the Committee of Experts and the Committee of Ministers at the conclusion of the fifth monitoring cycle, with particular attention to the extent to which these measures align with the commitments contained in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In addition to assessing official compliance, the study identifies and discusses newly emerging issues, persistent challenges, and areas where progress remains limited or uneven. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages was ratified by the Republic of Serbia in 2006, marking a formal commitment to safeguarding linguistic diversity as an integral aspect of cultural heritage and democratic participation. The Charter applies to the following languages: Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Bunjevac, Croatian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Macedonian, Romani, Romanian, Ruthenian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Vlach. These languages vary widely in terms of geographic distribution, speaker population, institutional presence, and historical recognition. The Serbian authorities submitted their fifth periodical report on 6 February 2020. This report, which outlines legislative, administrative, and practical measures related to the promotion and protection of minority languages, was subsequently examined by the researcher through the analytical lens of critical discourse analysis (CDA). Applying CDA allowed for a deeper exploration of the discursive strategies, narratives, and power relations embedded within official state reporting, thereby revealing both explicit commitments and more implicit forms of prioritisation, omission, or neutrality in the state’s approach to minority language rights.