European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as an instrument of European language policy

In this paper, I analyse the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as one of the most important European instruments of language policy and planning. In the first part, the basic principles of European language policy and ideology are outlined. Then the programme, structure, and work procedures of the Charter are presented. Finally, the paper discusses how the Charter intersects with the political field of European countries and what its role is in minority language revitalisation and emancipation