The research project ELDIA (European Language Diversity for All) studies and compares 14 different language groups in eight European countries. The goal of the project is to collect knowledge about how to strengthen minority languages in Europe and globally. The project runs during the period March 2010 - June 2013 and the role of the Åland Islands Peace Institute is to develop the legal and institutional analyses. The project is funded by the 7th Framework Programme for Research of the European Union.The Lega
l and Institutional Framework Analyses represent the collected knowledge of the ELDIA-project in the field of law, politics and policies and of their institutional representations with regard to the languages studied in this research project. Each report examines one or two languages in their wider national and international context. The
core scientific questions in the present law and policy studies are: What role is played by law in the use or non-use of different languages in different domains? What role is played by law in promoting or inhibiting language diversity as such? Finally, which factors related to legal and institutional matters influence language use, language maintenance and language diversity? Each study consists of three main parts: a) The overall legislative and institutional framework; b) Languages and minority policies in practice (a section which covers the discussions and the implementation, or non-implementation, of constitutional provisions, language legislation, education and media
legislation) and c) an identification and analysis of the legal actors, i.e. persons, organisations, and public authorities engaged in the development, interpretation and monitoring (judicial and other) of the relevant legal frameworks.
The Legal and Institutional Framework Analyses shall form part of the background for the development of the comparative and interdisciplinary work that is currently taking place within the ELDIA-project.
