Language Research
7. International treaties: Did the country ratify any international treaty dealing with the protection of minorities?
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities signed on February 1, 1995.
Updated (June 2002)
Although the Portugal does not recognize the existence of any national minority within its borders, in May 2002 the government ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, which will enter into force next September.
Besides of this, the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL) has established a Portuguese state committee in representation of the Mirandese-speaking community (about 15,000 people) in the northeast of the country. More suitable instrument for the protection of this language community, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, has not been ratified by Portugal yet.
Source: Mercator news, http://www.troc.es/ciemen/mercator/index-gb.htm
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