Accordo 10 settembre 1919

Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of 10 September 1919 [signed between the Allied and Associated Powers and the Government of Austria]

(omissis)

Section V, Part III – Protection of Minorities

Art.62.

Austria undertakes that the stipulations contained in this Section shall be recognised as fundamental laws, and that no law, regulation or official action shall conflict or interfere with these stipulations, nor shall any law, regulation or official action prevail over them.

Art.63.

All inhabitants of Austria shall be entitled to the free exercise, whether public or private, of any creed, religion or belief, whose practices are not inconsistent with public order or public morals.
Austria undertakes to assure full and complete protection of life and liberty to all inhabitants of Austria without distinction of birth, nationality, language, race or religion.

Art.64.

Austria admits and declares to be Austrian nationals ipso facto and without the requirement of any formality all persons possessing at the date of he coming into force of the present Treaty rights of citizenship (pertinenza) within Austrian territory who are not nationals of any other State.

Art.65.

All persons born in Austrian territory who are not born nationals of another State shall ipso facto become Austrian nationals.

Article 66.

All Austrian nationals shall be equal before the law and shall enjoy the same civil and political rights without distinction as to race, language or religion.
Differences of religion, creed or confession shall not prejudice any Austrian national in matters relating to the enjoyment of civil or political rights, as for instance admission to public employments, functions and honours, or the exercise of professions and industries.
No restriction shall be imposed on the free use by any Austrian national of any language in private intercourse, in commerce, in religion, in the press or in publications of any kind, or at public meetings.
Notwithstanding any establishment by the Austrian Government of an official language, adequate facilities shall be given to Austrian nationals of non-German speech for the use of their language, either orally or in writing, before the courts.

Art.67.

Austrian nationals who belong to racial, religious or linguistic minorities shall enjoy the same reatment and security in law and in fact as the other Austrian nationals. In particular they shall have an equal right to establish, manage and control at their own expense charitable, religious and social institutions, schools and other educational establishments, with the right to use their own language and to exercise their religion freely therein.

Art.68.

Austria will provide in the public educational system in owns and districts in which a considerable proportion of Austrian nationals of other than German speech are resident adequate facilities for ensuring that in the primary schools the instruction shall be given to he children of such Austrian nationals through the medium of their own language.
This provision shall not prevent the Austrian Government from making the teaching of the German language obligatory in the said schools.
In owns and districts where here is a considerable proportion of Austrian nationals belonging to racial, religious or linguistic minorities, these minorities shall be assured an equitable share in the enjoyment and application of the sums which may be provided out of public funds under the State, municipal or other budgets for educational, religious or charitable purposes.

Article 69.

Austria agrees that he stipulations in the foregoing Articles of this Section, so far as they affect persons belonging to racial, religious or linguistic minorities, constitute obligations of international concern and shall be placed under the guarantee of the League of Nations.They shall not be modified without the assent of a majority of the Council of he League of Nations.The Allied and Associated Powers represented on the Council severally agree not to withhold their assent from any modification in these Articles which is in due form assented to by a majority of the Council of the League of Nations.
Austria agrees that any Member of the Council of the League of Nations shall have the right to bring to the attention of the Council any infraction, or any danger of infraction, of any of these obligations, and that the Council may thereupon take such action and give such direction as it may deem proper and effective in the circumstances.
Austria further agrees that any difference of opinion as to questions of law or fact arising considérable de ressortissants autrichiens de out of these Articles between the Austrian Government and any one of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers or any other Power, a Member of the Council of the League of Nations, shall be held to be a dispute of an international character under Article 14 of the Covenant of the League of Nations.The Austrian Government hereby consents that any such dispute shall, if the other party hereto demands, be referred to the Permanent Court of International Justice.The decision of the Permanent Court shall be final and shall have the same force and effect as an award under Article 13 of he Covenant.

(omissis)