Position of the Association of Carinthian Slovenians on the existential issues of the Slovenian national community in Carinthia.

Slovenians have repeatedly observed the increasing changing of the linguistic image of the bilingual area of Austrian Carinthia. While the number of children registered with bilingual schools and preschool institutions is, increasing encouragingly, youngsters’ knowledge of the Slovenian language is nevertheless becoming poorer. In our bilingual villages, in everyday life, the Slovenian colloquial language, dialects and written language have been disappearing. We are of the opinion that this linguistic situation is due to decades of political pressure from the Carinthian political elites. If we were self-critical, we might discover the reasons for this situation among ourselves as well.

How to encourage people who still speak Slovenian to cooperate in Carinthian Slovenian political organisations? Should we decide on the political path of heated and radical slogans to make conscious people cheer, while increasingly losing others?

Do ongoing lawsuits and national and political conflicts guarantee the positive development of the economy, the Slovenian language and culture in South Carinthia? Or should we choose the harder path of discussing, compromising, cooperating and considering democratic principles within the national community? Are not excellent relations between Slovenia and Austria more likely to contribute to the regulation of the bilingual signposts issue rather than mutual attacks?

Do we want to strengthen only the Carinthian Slovenian elite, or make more and more Carinthians enthusiastic about discovering a part of their own identity, thus making the Slovenian language more present in our villages?

We believe that these issues are of paramount importance for the preservation of the Slovenian language and culture in Carinthia. All Carinthian Slovenian political and cultural organisations should consider professional help on these existential issues of the national community.

Every since its establishment, the Association of Carinthian Slovenians, with more than 1000 regular members, has endeavoured to contribute to the strengthening of economic conditions, the improvement of linguistic conditions in our bilingual villages and the strengthening of coexistence of Slovenian- and German-speaking people.

Based on his 15-year experience of working in municipal politics in the bilingual municipality of Globasnica, Bernard Sadovnik felt the need to acknowledge the right of every member of the municipality to freely choose his or her nationality. During his first candidacy for mayor he visited every house in the municipality regardless of the language people spoke, and he was asked many times, "How come you visited us, although we are not considered Slovenians?" He realised that we also judged people to be either good Slovenians or traitors saying "if you are not with us, you are against us."

The fact is that on the basis of ideology Carinthian Slovenians affiliate themselves with different political parties as well. As a member or adherent of the Social Democratic Party of Austria, the Austrian People’s Party, the Green, the Austrian Communist Party or the Alliance for the Future of Austria and the Freedom Party of Austria, everybody has the right to regard himself or herself as a member of the Slovenian national community and to decide on bilingualism in family and public life. A proof of this statement is also the historic success of the Globasnica United List (at two municipal elections the United List doubled its votes despite the decreasing number of Slovenian-speaking persons) and the success of Bernard Sadovnik as a Slovenian candidate for mayor. Scientific studies prove that in South Carinthia there are more than 40,000 inhabitants who speak fluently or have a basic knowledge of the spoken or written Slovenian language.

This is also the basis for the determination of the Association of Carinthian Slovenians to attract firstly the inhabitants of the bilingual area within the linguistic initiative drawn up by Dr Pavel Apovnik to enable people to discover a part of their own rural identity and culture in a positive atmosphere. It is very encouraging that language courses organised by teachers Rozvita Vospernik, Erika Wrolich and Johanne Koppensteiner were held in Zgornji Rož (Loče) and Zilja.

The other part of the Association of Carinthian Slovenians is engaged in social needs and jobs for the inhabitants of South Carinthia. Economic conditions in the bilingual area have changed as well. There are fewer and fewer farmers whose economic independence provides the basis for their family members, thus ensuring a part of the linguistic image. For decades, workers have not been given particular attention. We have noted that some of the intellectual Carinthian Slovenian elite overlook workers thus accelerating their alienation from the national community. This position of some of the elite, combined with assimilation pressures, resulted in numerous workers becoming distanced from the Slovenian national community.

The Association of Carinthian Slovenians should therefore address people from all social strata as equal members of the national community. Special attention will have to be placed on strategies for the prevention of moving of Slovenians from the bilingual area. Our duty will be to more actively present our people with the possibilities of economic cooperation in the future Euro-region and especially with Slovenia. A more positive attitude to Slovenia and its economic structures will also have to be generated within the Slovenian national community. This is only possible if as many cross-border and joint projects as possible develop between Carinthia and Slovenia.

Boycotting and deterioration of neighbourly relations do not support the economic strengthening of the bilingual area and do not enhance communication and tolerance between Slovenian- and German-speaking people.

Carinthian Slovenians are organised in cultural and sports societies in bilingual municipalities that especially unite people who perhaps have not been interested in politics for a long time. Slovenia’s support should be intended above all for programmes that ensure the positive development of the Slovenian language and culture and that respect peaceful coexistence in our municipalities, especially because they address children, youngsters and their parents who decided on bilingual education for their children. Diverse publications also belong to this category.

The Austrian constitutional provision and the Slovenian constitution are clear about the conservation of national communities and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity.

It should be made clear that we also support visible bilingualism: bilingual signpost in areas where we live. We are in favour of a fair compromise between the majority and the minority in accordance with the Constitutional Court decision, which has been proved by active cooperation of the Association of Carinthian Slovenians in drawing up such a compromise (Karner’s paper).

The Association welcomes endeavours for a joint democratic representation regulated by law and a unified presentation of the national community. Inclusion of the Association in such endeavours can only enhance the goals set and overcome existing obstacles within the national community.

The Association is not a means of either one or the other Austrian political party or Carinthian Governor Haider; the Association as a representative organisation above party politics has decided to follow the path of dialogue and communication with the elected representatives of the Austrian federal government, Carinthian regional government and the Slovenian government.

We welcome constructive meetings of the representatives of the Slovenian government and the Slovenian Minority Coordination. Institutionalisation of such meetings and talks provided for in the draft law on relations of the Republic of Slovenia with Slovenians abroad may contribute to the enhancement of cooperation and resolving of outstanding issues. The Association of Carinthian Slovenians, as one of the representative organisations of the Slovenian national community in Carinthia, therefore expects that it will be equally included in further meetings and talks.