From 18-20 November, the members of the Committee of Experts of the Charter came together in Strasbourg for their 83rd plenary.

During the meeting, the committee adopted its 8th evaluation report on the application of the Charter by Hungary, which will be made public early next year once the authorities’ comments, if any, received.

The committee also adopted the mid-term reports on the implementation of its recommendations for immediate action by Denmark, Finland and Serbia, which have been published in December 2025 and submitted to the Committee of Ministers for information.

The Committee of Experts elected new bureau members, who will take up their functions as of 1 January 2026 for a period of 2 years: Aleksandra Oszmianska-Pagett (Poland) as Chair, Albert Branchadell (Spain) as First Vice-Chair, and Jürgen Pirker (Austria) as Second Vice-Chair. The committee also held and exchange of views with Hallvard Gorseth, Council of Europe’s Director of Equal Rights and Dignity.
Next plenary meeting of the COMEX will take place in March 2026 in Strasbourg.

On 16 September, the Council of Europe’s Secretary-General, Alain Berset, gathered with the Chairs of the Council of Europe’s monitoring bodies.

Aleksandra Oszmianska-Pagett represented the Committee of Experts, and met with her counterparts from the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), as well as other bodies such as the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), the Group of Experts on the Convention on action against trafficking in human beings (GRETA) and the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO).

The Chairs exchanged with the Secretary-General, sharing their views about monitoring bodies’ role in a changing geopolitical context, as well as their potential collaboration with other regional and global mechanisms. The participants also provided inputs on the Secretary General’s New Democratic Pact for Europe.

Norway and the United Kingdom have recently extended their commitments under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, further reinforcing the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity in Europe.

On 10 September, Norway notified of its acceptance of additional Part III undertakings for the North Sami language, extending protection in the fields of administrative authorities and public services, media, and economic and social life. This development builds on Norway’s earlier decision in 2021 to apply Part III of the Charter to the Lule Sami and South Sami languages, confirming the country’s continued commitment to safeguarding Sami languages.

Similarly, on 5 December, the United Kingdom informed that it will start applying Part III of the Charter to the Cornish language. This decision considerably enhances the framework for the protection and promotion of Cornish, introducing specific measures covering areas such as education, the use of the language in dealings with public authorities, media, cultural activities, economic and social life, and cross-border cooperation. The move follows the United Kingdom’s 2020 extension of Part III protection to the Manx Gaelic language.

Together, these developments mark important steps toward stronger implementation of the Charter and underline the ongoing commitment of both countries to preserving and promoting Europe’s regional and minority languages as an integral part of its cultural heritage.

The Secretariat of the Charter published a factsheet on the protection of Romani language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The Romani language represents a significant example of a non-territorial language and benefits from differing degrees of protection in 16 countries that have ratified the Charter. The factsheet outlines recommendations for the promotion of Romani and highlights the challenges faced across various States Parties.

The Committee of Experts advocates for the implementation of comprehensive policies to support Romani, including enhanced training for teachers, expanded Romani-language media provision, and establishment of stable, long-term funding mechanisms.

By outlining key findings, concerns and suggested measures, the factsheet seeks to encourage more effective efforts to promote Romani and to strengthen its presence in public life, underscoring that linguistic diversity is a fundamental element of Europe’s cultural heritage.

In addition, the Charter brochure presenting the treaty itself, the work of its Committee of Experts and the monitoring process in a nutshell, has been translated into Bosnian and Norwegian.

Video message on the occasion of the International Romani Language Day 

Delegations of the Committee of Experts visited Norway (from 27 to 31 October) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (from 3 to 7 November). During these visits the Committee of Experts met with representatives of regional or minority language speakers and authorities to evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the Charter. A monitoring visit to Austria is planned for the first quarter of 2026.

Two evaluation reports and three mid-term reports were published during the second half of 2025: sixth evaluation report on Armenia and sixth evaluation report on the Slovak Republic, and the evaluations by the Committee of Experts of the Implementation of the Recommendations for Immediate Action contained in the Committee of Experts’ fifth evaluation report on Serbia, and sixth evaluation report on Denmark and sixth evaluation report on Finland.