THE ROLE OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN MULTICULTURAL ISSUES AND INTERETHNIC RELATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

U ovom se radu prikazuju normativna rješenja koja je Republika Hrvatska prihvatila za uređivanje pravnog položaja te prava i obveza pripadnika nacionalnih manjina koji u njoj žive. Posebna pozornost posvećena je ustavnopravnom položaju nacionalnih manjina te njihovim pravima na službenu uporabu jezika i pisma i na odgoj i obrazovanje na jeziku manjine. U radu se postavlja niz pitanja vezanih uz političko predstavljanje nacionalnih manjina i potrebu ustrojavanja tzv. manjinske samouprave na lokalnim razinama u Hrvatskoj. Rješenja hrvatskog zakonodavstva uspoređuju se s rješenjima prihvaćenima u mađarskom zakonodavstvu.The fundamental legal instruments adopted by the Republic of Croatia in order to protect the members of ethnic and national communities or minorities in its territory are presented in this article. Analysing the catalogue of minority rights protected by the state in Croatia today, the author concludes that the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and the Constitutional Act on Human Rights are founded on the highest civilizational achievements and international legal standards of the protection of individual rights guaranteed to particular members of minorities. They are entirely in accordance with positive international law in the field of the protection of minorities, which means that most minority rights are recognized to individual and not to collectivities (that is, minority groups as such)