![[Hungarian flag]](../images/h/hu.gif)
by Istvan Molnar, 25 June 2001
Last modified: 2005-04-16 by dov gutterman
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Croatia recognize also a minority, at least the Italian
speaking Croatians. These can use the Italian
flag. Legal base: part concerning Italian speaking
Croats in the various status of the communes of the Istrian
county, as well as in the status of the county itself.
Pascal Vagnat, 1 August 1999
Croatia recognitzes minorities (not only one as Pascal
said). The constitution explicitly lists the minorities that are
considered "autohtonous" . In the Preamble of the
Constitution it is said:
"... [Croatia is constituted as] the national state of the
Croatian people and the state of members of autohtonous national
minorities: Serbs, Czecks, Slovaks, Italians, Hungarians, Jews,
Germans, Austrians, Ukrainians, Ruthenians and others,
[...]"
The constitutional changes in the begining of 1998 were rather
contraversial when from this list were deleted Slovenians and
Muslims [we would say today Bosniaks, but in 1990 when the
consitution was first made the name was not used]. However, they
are now included among "others".
In any case, as it is with Italians in Istria, similarly local
legislation give right of use of the national flag in official
occasions to other minorities in those communities where they are
in larger numbers. Notably, Serbs, mainly in eastern Slavonia.
Also, Czecks and Slovaks in several communities in western
Slavonia, and Hungarians in several others. I'm not aware of any
community with large enough minority of other minorities
mentioned. However, all the minorities, mentioned above or not,
have constitutional right to use their national symbols, and as
far as I'm aware, they are using that right as it seem them to
fit.
Željko Heimer, 9 August 1999
The Constitutional Law on the National Minorities Rights
(Ustavni zakon o pravima nacionalnih manjina, NN 154/2002, <www.vlada.hr>),
determines the organization of local minorities councils in
communities, cities and counties and enable the establishemnt of
the national coordinations of such councils to act as the
national minority body. The coordination is determined by that
law to have the right to choose the national symbols (Art. 33,
paragr. 5) of the minority with approval of the Council for the
national Minorities, a government consultative body elected from
various national minorities representatives. The article 14 of
the Law determines the use of the symbols, including flags, of
the national minorities in Croatia, so (my translation):
1) The usage of symbols and emblems of the national minorties and
the cerebration of the national holydays of the national
minorities is free.
2) The national minorities may together with the official symbols
and emblems of the Republic of Croatia display appropriate
symbols and emblems of the national minorities. When the anthem
and/or ceremonial song of the national minority is played, before
it should be always played also the national anthem of the
Republic of Croatia.
3) The uniots of the local self-government and the regional
government [i.e. communities, cities and counties] are obliged to
prescribe with theirs statutes the official use and modes of
usage of the flags and symbols of the national minorities.
In accordance with this Law the minority councils were began to
be established in local units since 2002 and slowly the began to
form coordinations on local levels. Several national
coordinations were by now established, probably a few already
determined their flags, as well, but I have not notified it yet.
Željko Heimer, 10 April 2005
by Istvan Molnar, 25 June 2001
There are Hungarians living in Croatia. They are using only
the Hungarian national flag as their flag. this is regulated by
law.
Željko Heimer, 15 September 2000
In Croatia, Sovenia and Austria live about 10.000
Hungarians.They use the Hungarian national flag with or without
the Hungarian Coat of Arms. In Slovenia, and Croatia, the
settlements officially use the state flag, their own flags and
the Hungarian National flag . in those countries the Hungarian
minorities have got an Ethnic Council.
Istvan Molnar, 16 September 2000
by Željko Heimer
The traditional flag used by Muslims is green with white
crescent (or yellow). This is mostly confined to mosques, and
still today is so (it may also have a star, so it may make it
like Turkish).
Željko Heimer, 7 August 2002
by António Martins, 17 December 2002
Ruthenians in Croatia consider themself as Ukrainians, the
only difference being that Rusini (as they are called in Croatia)
came to these regions around WWI while people that settled around
and after WWII prefer the name Ukrainians. In any case, the
Ruthenians in Croatia have their organizations and societies
"together" with Ukraininans, and they use the same flag
- blue over yellow bicolour.
Željko Heimer, 15 September 2000
Last week the newspapers in Croatia brought forth the
annanciation of the leaders of the Serb community in Croatia to
for a single coordinative body encompassing all Serb political
parties and other organizations. According to the Croatian
Consitution such a body could be organized and one of its
functions (that is of interest to us) is that it would be
respondible for decision on the symbols of the community. Indeed
the annunciation of the Serb leaders was such that the
Coordination shall among its first tasks choose and adopt a flag
for the Serb community in Croatia as well as the coat of arms and
the anthem (soon they left the anthem out, since they find it too
complicated to start with).
Most of other political parties, especially those from the right
wings of the political spectrum jumped on the annunciation,
fearing of the Serb flags being used in Croatia, claiming that
the war wounds are too fresh and in their eagerness completely
forgetting that the Serb flags are already being used publicly
and officially on the city hals and community assemblyied where
the Serb community is considerable. These flags are, as already
reported, the undefaced Serb tricolours. Their use is guaranteed
with the Croatian constitution and the agreements Croatia made
with remaining rebeal Serbs in Eastern Slavonia, known as Erdut
Agreement.
Anyway, these politicians made a scandal out of the issue for
their sheer ignorance, and there is no issue in reasoning with
any of them - even though some of them are well aware of the fact
that these flags are being used since they themselves come from
such mixed cities.
The article that brought the matter among the first was published
in Globus political magazine (Nr. 703, 28.05.2004) conviniently
illustrated with a dozen of different "Republic of Serb
Krayina" flags captioned "All the flags of
Krayina" they bluntly stole from the FAME
page.
As it is said, the Coordination shall issue a public contents for
the design of the flag and the coat of arms, and it is also said
that they are certain that the flag shall be based on the Serb
triclour (probably defaced with some symbol, as I understood).
The coat of arms shall probably be based, said Milorad Pupovac,
leader of a Serb party for Globus, on some symbol of the Serb
tradition from the Military Border (region along the border
toward Ottoman Empire to which many Serb refugise setteled since
the 16th century, serving as soldiers).
Anyway, the Coordination is expected to be established within a
month or so, and how much time it shall take them to adopt the
symbols is hard to tell, but it seems so that we should be
looking this way for a new minority flag soon.
On the other hand, it seems that the reactions of the public were
not very much in favor of the idea, and it may happen that the
Serb leaders shall slow down the issue...
Željko Heimer, 3 June 2004
Yesterday (9 April 2005) the Coordination of the Serb National
Minority in Croatia (Koordinacija srpske nacionalne manjine u
Hrvatskoj, KSNM) was established, reported media in Croatia
(various media, e.g. Zagreb newspapers Vecernji list at <www.vecernji-list.hr>).
The KSNM is the top level body of the Serb minority in Croatia,
established in accordance with the Constitutional Law on the
National Minorities Rights. The KSNM determined that the flag of
the Serb national minority in Croatia shall be the tricolour of
red over blue over white without any symbols. The delegates
decided it cautiously, since they were vitnessing that various
Serb symbols have rised questions within the majority regarding
the history. They also want to end the confusion regarding the
(various) Serb flags used in local communities that were
sometimes subjects of critique. The other symbols of the
Serb minority were not yet chosen, said Pupuvac, leader of the
Coordinatin. The representatives would like to have those symbols
represent the Serb authochtony but also the belonging to Croatia
as well. A committee was formed to elect these symbols and signs
as well as an anthem within six months.
Željko Heimer, 10 April 2005