Last modified: 2008-07-19 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
The same Constitutional Law of 2002 prescribed in its article
33 that the symbols are adopted by the Coordination of councils
of national minority, the highest body of the particular national
minorities representations in Croatia, with approval by the
Council of the national minorities, the parliamentary institution
dealing with issues of the minorities (<www.savjet.nacionalne-manjine.info>).
For the time being only a part of the minorities officialized
their symbols in accordance with the law, while others are
traditionally using the symbols without the official approval.
Some minorities do not use symbols at all, for the time being.
According to an article in Vjesnik
(21.08.2007, p. 4 also at <ns1.vjesnik.com>
and also the only two minorities that approved their symbols in
accordance with the 2002 legislation are Serbs
and Czechs by that time, although others are expected to do so
soon.
In the article are mentioned some of the criteria of the Council
for the approval of these symbols as interpreted by Aleksandar
Tolnauer, chairman of the Council: "...the coat of arms of
the minority should include some Croatian symbol, as it would
make it clear that it is a coat of arms of a minority from
Croatia. The flag should not include the national coat of arms or
it should include the coat of arms of the minority." Beside
the mention of the approval of the symbols of Serbs and Czechs,
it is mentioned in the article that the Italians are also using
the national flag and anthem as their symbols. For the Bosniaks,
it is mentioned that it is expected that they are going to file
for the approval the previous flag of B&H (with lilies) as
their minority flag, but it seems that this was not yet done.
Other minorities are not mentioned, and without any
documentation, I would not like to add anything yet, although it
seems clear that most of the minorities use some kind of symbols.
In several cases the prescribed flags of minorities differ from
their mother country flags only in the ratio (1:2 in Croatia
while 2:3 in their countries, typically), but this is not meant
to provide differentiation between the two flags, rather it is a
manner of making the flag equal in size with the national flag of
Croatia with which it is regularly hoisted.
Željko Heimer, 16 December 200
According to the newspapers articles, only two minorities got
their flag approved so far in accordance with the legislation of
2002 allowing them and requiering so, namely the Serbs and
Czechs. As the SNM site
now includes updates on their decisions, we should monitor it and
hopefully find out when new flags get approved: Also, the Italian
minority have their flag regulated by their statutes, but have
not yet formally passed the procedure of approval (which is only
formality for them, I guess, due to the long tradition of such
flag use). Other 19 minorities represented (in theory) in the
Croatian parliament have not yet got their flags approved either,
but I have not located any other document on their internal
adoption either.
Željko Heimer, 29 February 2008
image by Željko Heimer, 29 February 2008
.gif)
Coat of Arms
image by Željko Heimer, 29 February 2008
The flag of the Czechs in Croatia is adopted formally in 2007,
it is equal to the Czech national flag (but for the ratio): white
over red bicolour with a blue triangle next to the hoist reaching
to the middle of the flag, with overall ratio 1:2. The emblem of
Czechs in Croatia is a shield with three fields, red, white and
blue with red-white chequered base and a silver lion overall.
Atop the shield is a yellow ribbon with inscription.
Today, the Czech minority is largest in the region surrounding
Daruvar in western Slavonia and in larger cities, like Zagreb,
Rijeka, Bjelovar, Virovitica and a few other places, where this
flag is used in accordance to the local legislation and the 2002
Contitutional Law.
Sources: <www.savjet.nacionalne-manjine.info>,
<www.savez-ceha-rh.t-com.hr>,
15.12.2007.
Željko Heimer, 16 December 2007
In the mean time I have received the text of the decision
adopting the symbols as well as the better drawing of the Coat of
Arms from Mr. Antun Rehák, chairman of the Coordination of
Councils of Czech National Minority in Croatia.
The flag is, unlike I assumed before - exactly the same to the
flag of the Czech Republic - white over red bicolour with a blue
triangle next to the hoist reaching to the middle of the flag, in
overall ratio 2:3. The emblem is a shield with three vertical
fields, red, white and blue with red-white chequered base and a
silver lion overall. Atop the shield is a yellow ribbon inscribed
"CEŠI V REPUBLICE CHORVATSKO/CESI U REPUBLICI
HRVATSKOJ" (meaning "The Czechs in the Republic of
Croatia" in Czech and Croatian language).
I believe I already reported on this being approved by the
central authorities (in this case - the Council for National
Minorities, SNM).
Željko Heimer, 29 February 2008
![[Hungarian flag]](../images/h/hu.gif)
image by István Molnár, 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.
István Molnár, 16 September 2000
image by Željko Heimer, 16 December 2007
The flag used by Italians mostly in Istria, Kvarner and in
Zadar is proclaimed by the Statutes of the Italian Union,
organization of Italians in Croatia and Slovenia, the same as the
flag of the mother country, the Repulic of Italia. In practice,
the flag is used in ratio 1:2, to match the ratio of other flags
hoisted at the same time, typically the flags of the Republic of
Croatia and the local flags of county, city or community.
Although this flag was not officially approved in accordance with
the 2002 legislation, it is used in cities and communities with
significant Italian population together with the national and
local flags as a matter of course since the establishment of the
Republic of Croatia. This practice was introduced after World War
II, although in that period until 1990 the flags included the
yellow fimbriated five-pointed red star in the middle.
Source: Statuto dell'Unione Italiana, Verteneglio, 16 febbraio
2002, Rovigno, 28 settembre 2002. Comunita nazionale italiana,
<www.cipo.hr>,
15.12.2007.
Željko Heimer, 16 December 2007
image 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
image 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
The flag of Ukrainians in
Croatia at <www.ukrajinci.hr>
, the website of the Coordination of Ukrainian national minority
in Republic of Croatia. This flag has a trident in the canton
Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2006
I am not at all convinced that it has any special fidelity.
The flag is use by the Coordination of the Ukrainian national
minority as well as by the Union of Ruthenians and Ukrainians of
Croatia is simple Ukrainian bicolour, as far as I have noticed.
The documents available on the web site are quite ambigous but
certainly they don't provide details for the flag with the
trident: The Statutes of the Union at <www.ukrajinci.hr>
in its article 6 prescribes: "In its public activities and
manifestations beside the state symbols of Croatia and the
symbols prescribed by the Law, the Union uses, in accordance to
the Law also the emblems and symbols of Ruthenians and
Ukrainians, specifically: the Ruthenian and Ukrainian coat of
arms, the flag and the anthem of Ukraine and the ceremonial song
"Ja Rusin bul" by Oleksandra Duhnovica".
The ambiguity is weather "the flag" is meant to be
attributed just "Ukrainian" or "Ruthenian and
Ukrainian", but as far as I am aware only the Ukraininan
bicolour is being used (well, the Ruthenian flag is not that much
different after all, and I am not sure if the Union even is aware
of a separate flag for Ruthenians). Certainly, only the blue and
yellow bicolours are used at the abovementioned web site.
The Statutes of the Coordination of the Ukrainian national
minority (which is a body organized by all the UA and Ruth.
organizations on the national level for the purpose of
participation in general elections and representation of the
minority in the state institutions, similarly as for other
minorities in Croatia) at <www.ukrajinci.hr>,
declares only one line in article 2 regarding symbols: "
[...] Symbolic of the Ukrainian national minority in the Republic
of Croatia is the Ukraininan coat of arms, the
"trident". [...] "
Anyway, there is no restrictions in Croatia for the minority
symbols to differentiate from the "mother-states", like
it was case in former Yugoslavia (and still is in Serbia, e.g.),
so the national minorities in Croatia, as a rule does not bother
to find out their specific symbols different from what they
already know. When they do, there must be some specific reasons
for that.
I am convinced that for the most of minorities (that have
"mother- countires") the provisions in the minority
regulations are very similar to the case of Ukrainians - they
would just name the flag (and Coat of Arms) as that of the nation
in question and would not even go into any description or
specifications of it.
Željko Heimer, 26 August 2006
image by Željko Heimer, 16 December 2007
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
The decision on the flag is available on line in Serb and
Croatian at <www.srbi-zagreb.net>:
Odluka o zastavi srpske nacionalne manjine u Republici Hrvatskoj,
9.4.2005, Srpsko narodno vije - nacionalna koordinacija vijea
srpske nacionalne manjine u Republici Hrvatskoj.
The flag of the Serbs in Croatia is a tricolour of red over blue
over white without any symbols. The ratio of the flag width to
length is 1:2. The coat of arms was not adopted.
This is by far the most controversial flag in Croatia, as it the
issue is burdened with memories of recent war, so it use from
time to time raises the questions in media, although this
happens, apparently ever less and less.
Željko Heimer, 16 December 2007
