The Parties undertake, in
respect of those judicial districts in which the number of residents using
the regional or minority languages justifies the measures specified below,
according to the situation of each of these languages and on condition
that the use of the facilities afforded by the present paragraph is not
considered by the judge to hamper the proper administration of justice:
in criminal
proceedings:
to provide that
the courts, at the request of one of the parties, shall conduct the
proceedings in the regional or minority languages; and/or
to guarantee the
accused the right to use his/her regional or minority language; and/or
to provide that
requests and evidence, whether written or oral, shall not be considered
inadmissible solely because they are formulated in a regional or minority
language; and/or
to produce, on
request, documents connected with legal proceedings in the relevant
regional or minority language,
if necessary by the use of interpreters and
translations involving no extra expense for the persons concerned;
in civil
proceedings:
to provide that
the courts, at the request of one of the parties, shall conduct the
proceedings in the regional or minority languages; and/or
to allow, whenever
a litigant has to appear in person before a court, that he or she may
use his or her regional or minority language without thereby incurring
additional expense; and/or
to allow documents
and evidence to be produced in the regional or minority languages,
if necessary by the use of interpreters and
translations;
in proceedings before
courts concerning administrative matters:
to provide that
the courts, at the request of one of the parties, shall conduct the
proceedings in the regional or minority languages; and/or
to allow, whenever
a litigant has to appear in person before a court, that he or she may
use his or her regional or minority language without thereby incurring
additional expense; and/or
to allow documents
and evidence to be produced in the regional or minority languages,
if necessary by the use of interpreters and
translations;
to take steps to
ensure that the application of sub-paragraphs i and iii of paragraphs b
and c above and any necessary use of interpreters and translations does
not involve extra expense for the persons concerned.
The Parties undertake:
not to deny the
validity of legal documents drawn up within the State solely because they
are drafted in a regional or minority language; or
not to deny the
validity, as between the parties, of legal documents drawn up within the
country solely because they are drafted in a regional or minority
language, and to provide that they can be invoked against interested
third parties who are not users of these languages on condition that the
contents of the document are made known to them by the person(s) who
invoke(s) it; or
not to deny the
validity, as between the parties, of legal documents drawn up within the
country solely because they are drafted in a regional or minority
language.
The Parties undertake to
make available in the regional or minority languages the most important
national statutory texts and those relating particularly to users of these
languages, unless they are otherwise provided.
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