Indicator history

According to the Art. 64 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia (which stipulates  "Special rights of the autochthonous Italian and Hungarian national communities in Slovenia") each the Italian and  the Hungarian national minority in Slovenia has "in order to exercise its rights, the right to establish its own self-governing communities".

There is also a law specifying in more details  that consistutional right - the Self-Governing National Communities Act (1994) - which in the Art. 1 stipulates: “For the implementation of special rights, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, for the promotion of their needs and interests, and for organised participation in public matters, members of the Italian and Hungarian National communities establish, in regions of their autochthonous settlement, self-governing national communities.”

Following the legal provisions, the Hungarian national miinority is organised within the Pomurje Hungarian Self-Governing National Community. This is the umbrella organisation of the Hungarian national community in the Republic of Slovenia. Within municipalities, the Hungarian national community has municipal Hungarian self-governing national communities in 5 municipalities.

The Italian national minority in Slovenia is organised within the Coastal Italian Self-governing Community. This is the umbrella organisation, which has the status of an entity of public law, and communicates with state authorities in 3 municipalities in which  Italians live autochthonously. In these  municipalities, the Italian national community is organised in municipal Italian self-governing communities, which are linked with the umbrella organisation through their delegates.

Other minorities in Slovenia don't have such rights to self-government.

Sources:

"Italian National Community", Office for National Minorities of the Government of Slovenia, http://www.uvn.gov.si/en/minorities/italian_national_community/. Date of access: 20.1.2012.

"Hungarian National Community". Office for National Minorities of the Government of Slovenia, http://www.uvn.gov.si/en/minorities/hungarian_national_community/. Date of access: 20.1.2012.